Simon Lab Spotlight! Reima Ramsamooj
Reima Ramsamooj, Associate Researcher, from Queens, NY
M.S. in Biology from CUNY City College
Q. Cats or Dogs or Other?
A. I am a cat person for sure! Fiercely feline!
Q. What sparked your interest in virology research or led you to join the Simon and Mulder Lab?
A. During my master's program, I worked in a lab studying antibiotic resistance in E. coli. That experience led me to look at viruses as the logical next step in understanding the dynamics of how we interact with pathogens in our daily lives.
Q. What is the most interesting part of your job?
A. Growing Influenza virus is very interesting to me. Handling a potentially dangerous virus and developing experiments to help better understand and hopefully combat flu outbreaks in the future is the best part of the job. It makes me feel like I am part of a bigger mission to improve our understanding of viruses.
Q. What is your favorite spot in all of New York?
A. Any ramen shop in the city, I am a huge fan of ramen!
Q. How did the COVID-19 Pandemic impact your position on research and virology?
A. I decided during the pandemic that I would go back to school and get my master's in biology. The pandemic significantly impacted my view on viruses – I severely underestimated them!
Q. What does a day in the lab look like?
A. It depends on the day. Usually, I tend to the cells used to infect with influenza viruses and seed them in plates. After an infection, I am checking on them regularly. Once I have that virus grown, I am performing various assays and experiments to better characterize them.
Q. Aside from being a great associate researcher, what would you describe as your personal superpower?
A. I would say attention to detail when performing my experiments is my personal superpower!
Q. If you could share one piece of advice with people interested in research, what would it be?
A. It is important to take a creative approach to certain problems and have an open mind when dealing with obstacles in research. Obstacles are inevitable in any line of work! Do not let frustrations dictate your entire day. Take some time to settle and keep on moving and learning!
Thank you Reima for sharing your story and also Aidan Vera for helping with the Spotlight Series!