Category: News from RP2 Alumnus

Photo 1. Ruth waiting to give her dissertation presentation in the Bryan Research Building.

The Acharya Lab at Duke University is delighted to congratulate Dr. Ruth J. Parsons on the successful defense of her doctoral dissertation, “Structural Variability of Viral Glycoproteins and Its Impact on Antigenicity, Receptor Engagement, Protease Cleavage, and Stability,” presented to the Duke University Department of Biochemistry on July 8, 2026. Congratulations, Dr. Parsons!

Ruth joined the Acharya Lab in 2023 as a graduate student in Duke University’s Biochemistry PhD Program after earning her B.S. in Biochemistry from North Carolina State University. With the successful completion of her dissertation, she becomes the second PhD student to graduate from the Acharya Lab, marking another important milestone for the lab. Throughout her doctoral training, Ruth was mentored by Dr. Priyamvada Acharya and benefited from the invaluable guidance and expertise of her dissertation committee: Dr. Aravind Asokan, Dr. Mihai Azoitei, Dr. Maolin Liu, Dr. Terrence G. Oas, and Dr. Amit Sharma. The Acharya Lab extends its sincere appreciation to her committee members from Duke University, The University of Texas at Tyler, and North Carolina State University for their thoughtful mentorship, insightful feedback, and continued support throughout Ruth’s PhD journey.

Fig 1. Liu Q, Parsons RJ, et al. Acquisition of quaternary trimer interaction as a key step in the lineage maturation of a broad and potent HIV-1 neutralizing antibody. Structure. 2025

Throughout her PhD, Ruth contributed to numerous interdisciplinary collaborations spanning structural virology, immunology, and viral evolution. Her research journey began with a review article published in Cell Reports, “Evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron spike,” which examined how structural changes in the Omicron spike protein influence receptor binding, viral entry, immune evasion, and the continued evolution of emerging subvariants. Among her major research contributions is the study “Acquisition of Quaternary Trimer Interaction as a Key Step in the Lineage Maturation of a Broad and Potent HIV-1 Neutralizing Antibody,” which characterized the maturation of the CD4-binding site broadly neutralizing antibody CH103 and demonstrated how acquisition of quaternary trimer interactions contributed to its breadth and potency against HIV-1. Together, these studies reflect Ruth’s broad expertise in applying structural biology to understand viral glycoproteins and antibody recognition across multiple viral systems.

Photo 2. Ruth and Dr. Terry Oas in front of the Acharya Lab Tundra cryo-TEM.

Beyond her research accomplishments, Ruth played a pivotal role in strengthening the Acharya Lab’s research infrastructure. She led the establishment of the lab’s in-house Cryogenic Transmission Electron Microscopy (cryo-TEM) workflow, helping develop computational workstations and data management practices that have become integral to the lab’s structural biology pipeline. Her dedication and leadership laid a strong foundation for future cryo-EM studies, and the resources she helped establish continue to support the productivity and success of current and future lab members. The Acharya Lab is deeply grateful for the lasting impact Ruth has made on the lab’s scientific community.

Photo 3. Ruth with her family, friends, and the Acharya Lab.

Following the successful defense, the Acharya Lab celebrated this special milestone with Ruth’s family, friends, and lab members, gathering for a group photo to commemorate the occasion. It was a wonderful opportunity to recognize not only Ruth’s scientific achievements but also the support network that accompanied her throughout her PhD journey. The Acharya Lab congratulates Ruth once again on this outstanding accomplishment and is incredibly grateful for the dedication, leadership, and friendship she brought to the lab over the years. We are excited to see where her next chapter leads and look forward to following her future successes.

Congratulations, Dr. Parsons—we are so proud of you!

Photo 1. Snapshots before the official kickoff of Jared and Rachel’s baby shower. (Left) Early arrivals waiting for the event to begin. (Right) Rachel and Jared receiving newborn care tips.

On March 21st, 2026, the Acharya Lab gathered to celebrate Jared and Rachel as they prepare to welcome their first baby.

The afternoon was filled with delicious food, laughter, and lots of friendly competition. Yanshun kept everyone entertained with fun games and quizzes, followed by the exciting gift opening. Since Jared and Rachel chose not to find out the baby’s gender before birth, everyone joined in the fun by making their own predictions, including the baby’s gender, birth weight, and other guesses. It made the celebration even more memorable and gave everyone something to look forward to. 

Photo 2. Snapshots from throughout the day. (Top left) Winners of the team competition—Team Rachel outpaced Team Jared. (Top right) The second-place team. (Bottom left) Surprise announcement that Jessica and Ki are expecting a baby in August. (Bottom right) Best-dressed winners of the day: Priyamvada and Radha.

Congratulations, Rachel and Jared! We wish you both all the joy, love, and happiness that comes with this exciting new chapter. We cannot wait to meet your little one!

The Acharya Lab was excited to participate in the CMB Symposium on February 26th, 2026, held at the Trent Semans Center at Duke University. Organized by the graduate students of Duke Cell and Molecular Biology, the symposium brought together researchers for a day of engaging science and discussion.

During the poster session, research from the Acharya Lab was showcased by Ruth, Murali, Bhishem, Rasangi, Alok, Ki, Jared, Yanshun, Ujjwal, Arpita, and Aaron. Each shared their research and connected with fellow scientists across the Duke community.

It was a wonderful opportunity to listen to interesting talks, exchange ideas, and showcase the exciting work happening in our lab. A big thank you to the CMB graduate students for organizing such a fantastic event—we had a great time!

Photo 1. Sharma Lab at NCSU CVM Research Day with award winner Emma Atwood.

We are excited to share wonderful news from our visiting scholar, Emma Atwood! Emma was awarded the Top Honor at North Carolina State University’s Annual College of Veterinary Medicine Research Day for outstanding oral presentation.

Emma’s presentation, titled “Determination of the First High-Resolution Structure of HIV-1 Envelope in Complex with Macaque CD4,” highlighted her ongoing work to advance our understanding of HIV-1 Env interactions in macaque models. Her research addresses a key gap in the field: although SHIV (Simian-Human Immunodeficiency Virus) macaque systems are essential for preclinical HIV-1 vaccine and therapeutic development, engineered Env variants capable of efficiently engaging macaque CD4 remain limited. In her project, Emma designed a soluble macaque CD4 protein, validated its stability and binding characteristics, and used cryo-EM to solve a 5.01 Å resolution structure of HIV-1 Env bound to macaque CD4—the first structure of its kind. This work will provide a valuable tool and structural framework for more precise and rational SHIV design.

Photo 2. Emma at NCSU CVM Research Day (Left) Emma giving her presentation. (Right) Emma with Dr. Joshua Stern, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies at NCSU CVM, and Dr. Jonna Mazet, Vice Provost for Grand Challenges at the University of California, Davis, the keynote speaker.

This project is part of an ongoing collaboration between Acharya Lab at Duke University and Sharma Lab at NCSU. Emma’s progress reflects the strength of this partnership and her meaningful contributions to advancing structural virology research.

We are very proud of Emma’s achievement and congratulate her once again on receiving the Top Honor at NCSU Research Day!