Comparative and Molecular Biosciences graduate student Hannah Murphy has been awarded a fellowship with the Institute for Molecular Virology Training Program (IMVTP) at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. 

The IMVTP seeks to enhance the training and professional development of student and early-career scientists. The fellowship is a one-year award with an opportunity for eligible students to request continued support for up to two years.

“I feel very honored to be accepted into the IMVTP, and I would like to thank my thesis committee for helping me prepare for this fellowship,” Murphy says.  

She notes the fellowship will provide her with a valuable opportunity to further her career goals through opportunities for education and networking, and its support will allow her to focus on her research. 

Murphy’s research centers on the gene expression of arenaviruses, specifically the Lassa fever virus. Lassa fever virus causes severe to fatal hemorrhagic fever in humans and has no vaccine or effective drug treatment. She also is involved in research using trisegmented arenavirus (Pichinde virus) vector to develop effective vaccines against various animal and human diseases.

“The IMVTP will give me a better opportunity to network and develop relationships with other scientists from other laboratories, which could significantly impact my current research,” Murphy says. “I think this is especially important because the best science is cultivated through interdisciplinary collaborations, and networking is essential for this. In the future, I also see the IMVTP helping to advance my future career as a tenured professor by helping me develop my expertise and giving me a platform to absorb as much virology and molecular biology information as possible.”

The IMVTP is supported through a National Institutes of Health National Research Service Award training grant (T32).