The Cristea Lab: Beyond the Bench

Group outings, personal accomplishments, worldwide travelers, and community at the Cristea Lab.

We resumed the lab painting tradition in style!
The lab soaking up the skyline views in Chicago while at US HUPO 2023.
The lab goes apple picking! We picked Terhune Orchards clean.
Bokai & Cao are married!
We're so happy for both of you!
Dawei & Shiyi are married!
Congrats to the happy couple!
Lab pottery extravaganza!
Wine and art with friends—doesn't get better than that!
End of summer Lab BBQ!
The lab took a break from grilling to pose for another great group photo.
The lab throws Ileana a surprise party!
To honor her recent endowed professorship, we surprised her with cake, champagne, and a round of labmate speeches. Cheers!!
Ileana and Louie hit the trail
Dodging (Ileana) or snacking on (Louie) some of those Brood X cicadas
Celebration of our fully-vaccinated reality at Hopewell Valley Vineyards!
Doubling as Xinlei's PhD graduation party, we spent a few hours basking in the sun, wine, and joy of a new life chapter.
Michelle and Matt are engaged!
The proposal happened on the Big Island of Hawaii (pictured: Pololu Canyon, minutes after). So excited for you guys!!
Meet our newest lab member: the paw-some Louie!
Ileana & Juha adopted this handsome doggo, obviously selected for his potential as a data scientist.
The lab gathers for a socially-distanced picnic at Mercer County Park
Members both in-person and virtual (see Laura's phone) spent an afternoon of much-needed company in the beautiful NJ outdoors.
Cristea Lab pets become multi-disciplinary virologists
It's one way to absorb the material... (pictured: Copper - Katelyn, Tim, & Michelle's household cat)
Can you paint a herpesvirus?
And you have to use neon paint underneath blacklights. It's open for interpretation...
Cristea Lab 100 Papers Celebration!
Complete with matching t-shirts (design by Katelyn). February 2018
Ileana advances to full professorship at Princeton University!
Ileana addresses the lab at Masa Sushi in celebration of her advancement. Cheers!

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Graduations and Farewells

Dr. Cora Betsinger graduates with her PhD!
The Betsinger Cake (with model of how the cake will be metabolized)!
Dr. Michelle Kennedy graduates with her PhD!
The Kennedy Cake!
Dr. Katelyn Cook graduates with her PhD!
The Cook Cake!
Dr. Bokai Song graduates with his PhD!
Dr. Timothy Howard graduates with his PhD!
Tim defended his thesis and will now begin a career in consulting. We're excited for you, Tim!
The Howard Cake: IFI16 indiscriminately binds viral genomes to suppress infection
We celebrated by indiscriminately devouring this cake--delicious!
Dr. Xinlei Sheng graduates with his PhD!
We celebrated Dr. Sheng's accomplishments all weekend long with family and friends.
The Sheng Cake: HCMV-driven modulation of the mitochondrial acetylome
It was a carrot cake shared cheerfully together with some champagne. Cheers, Xinlei!
Congratulations, Dr. Laura Murray-Nerger!
Laura defended her PhD and will soon leave us for Harvard Medical School in Boston. We're excited for you, Laura!
The Dr. Murray-Nerger graduation cake: acetylation of the nuclear lamina
(it also tasted delicious, with raspberry filling)
Congratulations Dr. Krystal Lum!!
Krystal defended her thesis and was awarded her PhD, soon to head to her Post Doc at U Penn. Congrats!!
The Lum cake - the dynamics of nuclear DNA sensing
Dr. Lum had a good mix of her favorite protein (IFI16) and (one of) her favorite bunnies, Smoosh
Pierre becomes Dr. Jean Beltran!
Congrats Pierre - and good luck in Boston!
The Jean Beltran cake - viruses manipulate cellular organization
Pierre's cake featured the cover design art (painted by his wife, Carla) from one of his papers.
Elizabeth officially becomes Dr. Rowland!
Lab members past & present gathered to wish Elizabeth farewell and good luck. Cheers!
The Rowland Cake - SIRT4 evolutionary conservation!
Elizabeth's cake was decorated with a figure from her recent review.
Congrats! Marni defends her thesis and becomes Dr. Crow!
Marni has accepted a position at Precept Medical Communications in NJ and promises to return for the annual BBQ!
The Crow Cake - Nuclear DNA Sensing (in 3D)
Marni's grad cake was printed with an impressive 3D figure that she had made and often included in her presentations.
Congrats to Dr. Benjamin Diner!
Ben heads to Boston for a position at Editas Medicine. We'll miss him!
The Diner Cake - IP-MS Interactome
Ben (AKA Dr. BAD) had his cake decorated with an exquisite IP-MS interactome that was his crowning achievement of grad school.

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