Nicole Welch is a PhD student in Harvard University’s Program in Virology. As a member of the Sabeti lab, Nicole works to efficiently and effectively program an RNA-targeting CRISPR/Cas system, Cas13, to inhibit RNA virus replication and viral spread.

Before joining the lab, Nicole was a postbaccalaureate fellow at the National Institutes of Health in Chris Buck’s lab where she studied the evolutionary history of dsDNA viruses. In 2016, Nicole graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a BS in Neurobiology and a certificate in Business Foundations from McCombs School of Business. At UT, Nicole was involved in the Freshman Research Initiative as a researcher and mentor. Nicole also conducted research in Chris Sullivan’s lab to understand how viruses use small regulatory RNAs such as siRNAs and miRNAs to aid in replication and promote infection.