Weitz Group

Investigating how viruses transform human health and the fate of our planet

Investigating how viruses transform human health and the fate of our planet.      

Quan Nguyen to join Bioengineering PhD program at UPenn

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Quan Nguyen, an undergraduate Weitz Group member since 2020, just graduated with a B.S. in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering. Quan has spent his time in the Group designing algorithms that estimate the risk scores of viral infections. This fall, Quan will be starting a PhD in Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania.

“I want to apply statistical analysis and machine learning to electronic health records, omics, and other medical data. My goals are to uncover biological signatures/biomarkers of disease severity and predict disease-associated phenotypes. This helps provide on-the-ground insights to deliver better health outcomes for patients.”

Congratulations to Quan on his graduation and embarking on the next step of his career.

Shashwat successfully defends his dissertation, earning his Ph.D. in Electrical & Computer Engineering.

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On March 22nd, 2023, Shashwat Shivam successfully defended his dissertation entitled “Endogenous and Exogenous Control of Virus-Host Dynamics,’’ earning his Ph.D. in electrical & computer engineering.

Congratulations, Shashwat!

To learn more about Shashwat’s dissertation, read the abstract below.

Optimization and control techniques are ubiquitous and used in diverse fields such as Mathematics, Engineering and Science. In this thesis, we focus on applications of model-based optimization and control in complex, nonlinear virus-host systems. In model-based optimization, the system dynamics are either known or partially estimated using data. Here, we consider virus-host systems where the control can be endogenous or externally imposed. For endogenous control, we study the lysis-lysogeny decision for phage-bacteria system. To emulate natural selection, we use optimal control techniques and try to find the decision strategies which maximize the fitness of the phage. For exogenous control, we study pandemics caused by viruses (specifically COVID-19) and design both pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention strategies to mitigate its impact.

Quan Receives the Thomas L. Gossage International Enrichment Scholarship

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Quan (King) Nguyen, a chemical & biomolecular engineering undergraduate that has been in the Weitz Group since 2020, has recently been selected by the Student Awards Committee of the School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering as the recipient of the Thomas L. Gossage International Enrichment Scholarship. Awarded to the top international students in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, the Scholarship is given to students who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement in their time at Georgia Tech. This is the second year that Quan has received this scholarship.

Quan also recently received an Exemplary Academic Achievement award for earning a 4.0 GPA for the 2021-2022 academic year.

Congratulations, Quan!

Quan Accepted into the Vietnam Education Foundation Program

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Quan (King) Nguyen, a chemical & biomolecular engineering undergraduate that has been in the Weitz Group since 2020, has recently been accepted into the Vietnam Education Foundation (VEF) 2.0 program. Created by U.S. Congress in 2003 to “strengthen the bilateral relationship between the United States and Vietnam through educational exchange activities,” the program offers academic mentoring and financial support while building an academic and professional network of Vietnamese scientists in the U.S.

Quan is mentored by group research scientist, Stephen Beckett, and works largely on projects related to Covid-19 and expanding the Covid-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool. Upon being selected out of hundreds of applications for the VEF 2.0 program, Quan described being accepted as “a great honor!”

Congratulations, Quan!

The Weitz Group

Investigating how viruses transform human health and the fate of our planet

310 Ferst Dr
School of Biological Sciences
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA 30332, USA

Website developed by Audra Davidson for the Weitz Group, 2021. For more information on the group, contact Dr. Gabi Steinbach: gabi.steinbach (@) biosci.gatech.edu