Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program (IGEP) in Infectious Disease
Assistant professors associated with the new Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program in Infectious Disease, Nisha Duggal and James Weger-Lucarelli, are developing a SARS-COV-2 reverse genetics system to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo: Ray Meese for Virginia Tech.

The Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program (IGEP) in Infectious Disease (ID), in collaboration with academic departments and programs, trains graduate students with a broad scientific perspective in infectious disease. The program provides:
- a cohesive, yet diverse learning environment valuing multiple viewpoints
- cutting edge transdisciplinary research
- rich educational experiences with infectious disease specific coursework and seminars
- professional development opportunities
- realization of the Virginia Tech motto of Ut Prosim (that we may serve) in the form of service to society through focus on real-world infectious disease problems.
Funded by the six participating colleges and other Virginia Tech entities, this program is one of several IGEPs. These programs address a variety of complex societal issues requiring interdisciplinary teams of scholars.
Click below for more information on:
Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Programs (IGEPs).
Leadership | Co-directors
Steering Committee
Affiliated Faculty
At the Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens is an interdisciplinary and growing network of more than 100 Virginia Tech faculty from seven of Virginia Tech’s Colleges:
- College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
- College of Engineering
- College of Liberal Arts & Human Sciences
- College of Natural Resources & Environment
- College of Science
- Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine
- Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Azhar Ali
A. Jonathan Auguste
Anne M. Brown
Juhong Chen
Gillian Eastwood
Aaron Gross
Brandon Jutras
Michael Klemba
Leigh-Anne Krometis
David Kuhn
Chloe Lahondere
Caroline Leeth
Song Li
John Maurer
Biswarup Mukhopadhyay
Mizuho Nita
Reza Ovissipour
Christina Petersson-Wolfe
Monica Ponder
David Schmale
Ryan Senger
Igor Sharakhov
Maria Sharakhova
Pablo Sobrado
Venkataramana Sridhar
Zhijian Tu
Boris Vinatzer
Clement Vinauger
Xiaofeng Wang
Mark A. Williams
Clay Wright
Kang Xia
Mike Zhang
Bingyu Zhao
Jinsong Zhu
Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine
Ansar Ahmed
Coy Allen
Andrea S Bertke
Clay Caswell
Sherrie Clark
Nisha Duggal
Raj Gaji
Kathryn Hosig
Laura Hungerford
Kylene Kehn-Hall
Kevin Lahmers
Margie Lee
Tanya LeRoith
Xin Luo
Xiang-Jin Meng
Patrick Pithua
Roger Ramirez-Barrios
Cassidy Rist
Nick Ruktanonchai
Mohamed Seleem
Stephen A. Smith
Harini Sooryanarain
Nammalwar Sriranganathan
Sophie Wenzel
James Weger-Lucarelli
Sharon Witonsky
Lijuan Yuan
College of Engineering
College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences
College of Natural Resources and Environment
College of Science
Rana Ashkar
Frank Aylward
Lisa Belden
Paul Carlier
Lauren M. Childs
Stanca Ciupe
Jeremy Draghi
Ron Fricker
Dana Hawley
Joseph Hoyt
Bryan Hsu
Leah R. Johnson
Kate Langwig
Iulia Lazar
Andrew N. Lowell
Stephen Melville
Joseph S. Merola
Emily Mevers
David Popham
Webster Santos
Omar Saucedo
Birgit Scharf
Michael Schulz
Ann M. Stevens
Uwe C. Tauber
Zhaomin Yang
Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
Bacteria
Kathleen Alexander
Azhar Ali
Coy Allen
Rana Ashkar
Frank Aylward
Lisa Belden
Clay Caswell
Juhong Chen
Jeremy Draghi
Gillian Eastwood
Kevin Edgar
Luis Escobar
Dana Hawley
Lenwood S. Heath
Bryan Hsu
Laura Hungerford
Leah R Johnson
Luke Juran
Brandon Jutras
Thomas M Kerkering
Korine Kolivras
Leigh-Anne Krometis
David Kuhn
Kevin Lahmers
Kate Langwig
Margie Lee
Song Li
Andrew N. Lowell
Xin Luo
Linsey Marr
John Maurer
Stephen Melville
Emily Mevers
Biswarup Mukhopadhyay
Mizuho Nita
Reza Ovissipour
Christina Petersson-Wolfe
Patrick Pithua
Monica Ponder
David Popham
Amy Pruden
Jayasimha Rao
Cassidy Rist
Webster Santos
Birgit Scharf
David Schmale
Mohamed Seleem
Ryan Senger
Peter Sforza
Stephen A. Smith
Pablo Sobrado
Venkataramana Sridhar
Nammalwar Sriranganathan
Ann M. Stevens
Peter Vikesland
Boris Vinatzer
Mark A. Williams
Sharon Witonsky
Clay Wright
Kang Xia
Zhaomin Yang
Bingyu Zhao
Fungi
Protozoa
Kathleen Alexander
Coy Allen
Lisa Belden
Paul Carlier
Lauren M Childs
Luis Escobar
Raj Gaji
Laura Hungerford
Leah R Johnson
Thomas M Kerkering
Michael Klemba
Kevin Lahmers
Caroline Leeth
Amy Pruden
Roger Ramirez-Barrios
Cassidy Rist
Igor Sharakhov
Stephen A. Smith
Pablo Sobrado
Zhijian Tu
Peter Vikesland
Sharon Witonsky
Virus
Kathleen Alexander
Azhar Ali
Coy Allen
Rana Ashkar
A. Jonathan Auguste
Frank Aylward
Andrea S Bertke
Anne M. Brown
Katherine Brown
Paul Carlier
Juhong Chen
Lauren M Childs
Stanca Ciupe
Sherrie Clark
Jeremy Draghi
Nisha Duggal
Gillian Eastwood
Kevin Edgar
Luis Escobar
Ron Fricker
Lenwood S. Heath
Laura Hungerford
Leah R Johnson
Kylene Kehn-Hall
Thomas M Kerkering
Kevin Lahmers
Chloe Lahondere
Kate Langwig
Tanya LeRoith
Linsey Marr
Xiang-Jin Meng
Mizuho Nita
Amy Pruden
Cassidy Rist
Nick Ruktanonchai
Webster Santos
Omar Saucedo
Birgit Scharf
Michael Schulz
Peter Sforza
Paul Skolnik
Harini Sooryanarain
Zhijian Tu
Peter Vikesland
Clement Vinauger
James Weger-Lucarelli
Xiaofeng Wang
Lijuan Yuan
Mike Zhang
Antimicrobial Countermeasures (vaccine and drug)
Group leaders:
Paul Carlier
Mike Zhang
Affiliated Faculty:
Andrea S Bertke
Paul Carlier
Juhong Chen
Kevin Edgar
Bryan Hsu
Kylene Kehn-Hall
Thomas M Kerkering
Michael Klemba
David Kuhn
Margie Lee
Andrew N. Lowell
Xiang-Jin Meng
Emily Mevers
Biswarup Mukhopadhyay
Reza Ovissipour
Monica Ponder
David Popham
Amy Pruden
Jayasimha Rao
Webster Santos
Michael Schulz
Mohamed Seleem
Pablo Sobrado
Venkataramana Sridhar
Nammalwar Sriranganathan
Mark A. Williams
Clay Wright
Kang Xia
Zhaomin Yang
Bingyu Zhao
Mike Zhang
Affiliated Faculty:
Kathleen Alexander
A. Jonathan Auguste
Lauren M Childs
Gillian Eastwood
Luis Escobar
William Mark Ford
Dana Hawley
Lenwood S. Heath
Joseph Hoyt
Bryan Hsu
Leah R Johnson
Korine Kolivras
Chloe Lahondere
Kate Langwig
Mizuho Nita
Patrick Pithua
Monica Ponder
Roger Ramirez-Barrios
Cassidy Rist
Nick Ruktanonchai
Omar Saucedo
David Schmale
Peter Sforza
Uwe C. Tauber
Boris Vinatzer
Clément Vinauger
Affiliated Faculty:
Kathleen Alexander
Coy Allen
Rana Ashkar
Andrea S Bertke
Katherine Brown
Clay Caswell
Stanca Ciupe
Sherrie Clark
Jeremy Draghi
Luis Escobar
William Mark Ford
Raj Gaji
Aaron Gross
Dana Hawley
Joseph Hoyt
Bryan Hsu
Brandon Jutras
Kylene Kehn-Hall
Michael Klemba
David Kuhn
Kevin Lahmers
Chloe Lahondere
Kate Langwig
Iulia Lazar
Margie Lee
Tanya LeRoith
Xin Luo
John Maurer
Stephen Melville
Xiang-Jin Meng
Emily Mevers
Mizuho Nita
Christina Petersson-Wolfe
David Popham
Roger Ramirez-Barrios
Jayasimha Rao
Omar Saucedo
Birgit Scharf
David Schmale
Mohamed Seleem
Ryan Senger
Paul Skolnik
Stephen A. Smith
Harini Sooryanarain
Nammalwar Sriranganathan
Ann M. Stevens
Clement Vinauger
Xiaofeng Wang
James Weger-Lucarelli
Mark A. Williams
Sharon Witonsky
Clay Wright
Bingyu Zhao
Affiliated Faculty:
Kathleen Alexander
Coy Allen
Clay Caswell
Nisha Duggal
Gillian Eastwood
Raj Gaji
Laura Hungerford
Kylene Kehn-Hall
Margie Lee
Tanya LeRoith
John Maurer
Xiang-Jin Meng
Reza Ovissipour
Patrick Pithua
Monica Ponder
Cassidy Rist
Stephen A. Smith
Harini Sooryanarain
Nammalwar Sriranganathan
James Weger-Lucarelli
Sharon Witonsky
Public Health and Clinical Microbiology
Group leaders:
Andrea Bertke
Thomas Kerkering
Affiliated Faculty:
Azhar Ali
Andrea S Bertke
Katherine Brown
Laura Hungerford
Luke Juran
Thomas M Kerkering
Leigh-Anne Krometis
Korine Kolivras
John Maurer
Patrick Pithua
Amy Pruden
Jayasimha Rao
Mohamed Seleem
Ryan Senger
Peter Vikesland
Sophie Wenzel
Kang Xia
Affiliated Faculty:
Frank Aylward
Juhong Chen
Korine Kolivras
Leigh-Anne Krometis
David Kuhn
Song Li
Linsey Marr
Biswarup Mukhopadhyay
Mizuho Nita
Reza Ovissipour
David Popham
Amy Pruden
Birgit Scharf
David Schmale
Ryan Senger
Venkataramana Sridhar
Ann M. Stevens
Peter Vikesland
Boris Vinatzer
Mark A. Williams
Kang Xia
Bingyu Zhao
Affiliated Faculty:
Willandia Chaves
Sherrie Clark
E. Thomas Ewing
Ron Fricker
Rebecca J. Hester
Kathryn Hosig
Luke Juran
Thomas M Kerkering
Leigh-Anne Krometis
Iulia Lazar
Linsey Marr
Peter Sforza
Paul Skolnik
Clement Vinauger
Sophie Wenzel
Kang Xia
Affiliated Faculty:
Ansar Ahmed
Coy Allen
A. Jonathan Auguste
Lauren M Childs
Stanca Ciupe
Sherrie Clark
Brandon Jutras
Dana Hawley
Kevin Lahmers
Caroline Leeth
Tanya LeRoith
Stephen Melville
Webster Santos
Paul Skolnik
Harini Sooryanarain
Nammalwar Sriranganathan
Sharon Witonsky
Lijuan Yuan
Mike Zhang
Affiliated Faculty:
A. Jonathan Auguste
Paul Carlier
Juhong Chen
Lauren M Childs
Nisha Duggal
Gillian Eastwood
Aaron Gross
Leah R Johnson
Brandon Jutras
Michael Klemba
Kevin Lahmers
Chloe Lahondere
Roger Ramirez-Barrios
Cassidy Rist
Omar Saucedo
Igor Sharakhov
Maria Sharakhova
Stephen A. Smith
Ann M. Stevens
Zhijian Tu
Clement Vinauger
James Weger-Lucarelli
Jinsong Zhu

Complete the graduate school application for the ID IGEP program and indicate your top choices for faculty mentors: CeZAP Faculty List
To apply click here.
The link above will take you to the Virginia Tech Graduate School application, which you will need to fill out. When you come to the place where you are asked to indicate “Program of Study”, please select “Infectious Disease IGEP” from the drop-down list.
Information about ID IGEP program-specific requirements:
- A holistic approach will be used to review applicants
- 3.0 GPA or higher required
- GRE not required, but TOEFL required for non-native English-speaking applicants
- Letters of recommendation required (those from academic or research mentors are particularly helpful)
- Applicants should indicate in their personal statement their top choice(s) of research mentors and the college affiliation of those individuals
- Applicants are encouraged to reach out directly to potential faculty mentors via Email or phone
This is not a degree-granting program. Degrees are awarded through the department of the research mentor.
Application review will begin December 1, annually.
Students will be guaranteed funding through their first academic year from their home college. Funding thereafter may come from external grants to their advisor, teaching assistantships, student-initiated grant proposals, or other funding sources, but the home college and advisor will have committed to providing continuing funding beyond the first academic year, contingent on satisfactory student progress.
Students may enter the program in two ways:
1. Complete three rotations during their first semester on campus in three different laboratories; all three laboratories must be within the single college that is funding the student. Students should indicate the college of greatest interest, based on the student’s top laboratory interest(s).
2. Select a primary laboratory to join directly, but with the opportunity to complete two complementary interdisciplinary training periods in two other laboratories within CEZAP as determined through discussions with the major advisor during the first semester.

Enrollment in a first-semester infectious disease overview course, “Topics in Infectious Disease” will be required.
Enrollment and full participation in the CeZAP Distinguished Speakers Seminar Series will be required.
Once students join a research group under a specific PI, they become affiliated with the department and college of the PI. The student will therefore take additional courses required by their home college/department/lab and will have all of the same rights and responsibilities as other students in their home department.
Course (details forthcoming)

The first ID IGP cohort recently completed the first of three research rotations and presented their research projects to the group.
Mychala Snead
"Creating a Bacillus Transposon Library"
Jason Pough
"Using Spent Grains to Feed Trough and Feeding Shrimp Vibrio parahaemolyticus"
Marcel Shams Eddin
"Characterization of Salmonella genes involved in Chi (X) phage infection"
Poonam Tajanpure
"Focus on the impacts of climate change on hydrology, water resources and public health"
Morgen VanderGiessen
"Developing capsid-importin alpha inhibitors for the treatment of VEEV infection"
Abdullahi Jamiu
"Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Drug Discovery"
Caitlin Armstrong
"ID IGEP Rotation #1 - Rotating through Dr Liwu Li's Lab"


Welcome to VT!
As Virginia Tech continues to observe the same safety precautions as the rest of our nation for COVID-19, we still want to make options available to see what it’s like to be a student here. We are working with campus partners to offer a growing list of options and videos, so watch this page for updates!
Explore Virginia Tech:
Explore Blacksburg & the New River Valley (NRV):
Meet the first ID IGEP Cohorts

Marcel Shams Eddin
"It was always my interest during my undergraduate and graduate studies to learn more about infectious diseases and search deeply about the causative agents of those diseases. I enjoy studying the field I am most passionate about and will strive to discover new treatments, vaccines, and diagnostic strategies for various resistant infectious pathogens.
I am from Lebanon. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Laboratory Sciences, and a Master of Science degree in Microbiology and Immunology focusing on Virology, from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon

Abdullahi Jamiu
"I am very passionate about infectious disease and drug discovery. This intense passion stems from the need to better understand the mechanisms through which notorious pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2, the causal agent of COVID-19, cause infection. My interest in drug discovery is inspired by the urgent need to develop novel, effective therapeutic options against emerging and re-emerging infections."
Mr Abdullahi Temitope Jamiu is a citizen of Nigeria. He is very fascinated by the microbial world. As such, he obtained his Bachelor's degree in Microbiology from Al-Hikmah University, Nigeria. He has also recently completed his Master's degree in Microbiology at the University of the Free State, South Africa. He will start a PhD degree in Infectious Disease at Virginia Tech this fall.

Mychala Snead
"My interest in infectious diseases stems from my love of microbiology and passion for understanding host/vector interactions. I am interested in gaining more knowledge on the various microbial communities that cause disease within the human population."
Mychala Snead is from Dover, DE. She received a BS in Biology from Stevenson University In Owings Mills, MD. She went on to complete a Masters in Clinical Microbiology from George Washington University. Mychala’s hobbies include cooking, walking, and taking care of her pets

Caitlin Armstrong
Caitlin is excited to further develop her love of research and apply her molecular biology background in the laboratories of Dr. Luo and Dr. Li as a Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences PhD student.
Caitlin Armstrong holds a BS in Animal Science from Cornell University, where she graduated cum laude with distinction in research for her honors thesis in equine genetics. While at Cornell, she worked in three different research laboratories on projects ranging from humpback whale communication and conservation to equine genetics. After graduation, she gained several years of industry experience in molecular diagnostics while also co-managing an equine boarding barn at Callithea Farm. From 2014-2018, she gained additional research experience in the Laminitis Laboratory at PennVet - New Bolton Center. Most recently, she served as the Equine Biobank Manager in the Equine Pharmacology Laboratory, also at New Bolton Center

Poonam Tajanpure
"My research is centered on advanced causal machine learning, data mining, and satellite image applications to better understand environmental and public health issues. I am particularly interested in learning more about the effects of climate change on environmental health issues such as waterborne disease, population health, and public policy. As part of my research, I would like to investigate the effects of human-induced activities on increasing demand, climatic change and variability, land-cover, and land-use change. .My interdisciplinary approach to engineering solutions for economic development and public health issues is built on long-term mechanisms that identify potential threats and solutions to evaluate and model relationships between physical and institutional infrastructure, climate change, and public health goals."
Prior to beginning the doctoral program at VT, I earned a bachelor's degree in agricultural engineering as well as a master's degree in development studies from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and a master's degree in population studies from the International Institute for Population Science in Mumbai (India).

Jason D'wayne Pough II
"My interest in the IDGEP program stems from a mixture of microbiology and immunology with a lifelong enthusiasm of zoology and animal sciences. I plan to spend my time at Virginia Tech under this program in an attempt to combine my interest, so I may find an area of study that I truly enjoy an can make a career and future out of."
My name is Jason D'wayne Pough II and I was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. After later moving to Richmond, Virginia, I attended Hampden-Sydney College at Farmville, in 2015 and graduated with a B.S. in Biology in 2019. During my time at Hampden-Sydney I was recruited by my biology department to pursue a research topic of my choosing. I researched the Tardigrade gene DSUP which allows the organisms to survive high levels of radiation. My research focused on using comet assay's to experiment on how effective the gene prevented radiation damage to plasmids. Along with my peers, I attended an ASBMB conference, in Orlando, Florida in 2019, and presented my work to other professors and students from across the country.

Morgen VanderGiessen
Morgen aspires to pursue graduate research aimed at understanding the chemical interactions between disease-vectors, humans, and their environments. Her long-term career goals are to continue research in the field of zoonotic disease and human disease-vector interactions. More specifically, she aims to find a career exploring the vast number of ecological, genetic, and physical factors that contribute to host-pathogen interactions.
Morgen obtained a Master's degree in Biochemistry at Virginia Tech in 2021 with focus on the effects of habitat and plant chemical ecology on mosquito behavior. Under the supervision of both Dr. Clement Vinauger and Dr. Chloe Lahondere from the Department of Biochemistry, she performed field mosquito trapping and laboratory chemical analysis to better understand mosquito survival and biting behaviors. Morgen obtained her Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and a Minor in Chemistry and Medicine in Society in 2019 also at Virginia Tech. During her undergraduate studies, she participated in undergraduate research investigating olfactory rhythms in mosquitoes in the Vinauger lab, and served as a laboratory technician caring for both mosquitoes in the Vinauger and Lahondere Labs as well as a mouse care technician in the Phillips laboratory. Before moving to Blacksburg, Virginia to attend Virginia Tech, Morgen grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Throughout these experiences, she developed a strong interest in organic chemistry and vector-borne disease research in which she plans to pursue a doctoral degree
Fralin Life Sciences Institute
Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center (CRC)
Integrated Life Science Building (ILSB)
1981 Kraft Dr, Room 2036
Blacksburg, VA 24060
Kevin Edgar:
kjedgar@vt.edu
Office Phone: (540)-231-0674
Ann Stevens:
ams@vt.edu
Office Phone: (540)-231-9378
Lab Phone: (540)-231-2342
FAX: (540)-231-9307