Andrei Abarientos is a junior Pathobiology major with broad research interests in vector-borne and zoonotic disease. On campus he is a leader for Kids and UConn Bridging Education, an undergraduate assistant for the US Animal Vaccine Research Coordination Network, and a Team Coordinator for Partners in Health Engage. He is also a Board of Directors member and lead mentor for the Tolland County Robotics Foundation, working with kids to ignite passion for robotics and engineering. He is passionate about education, STEM, and global health advocacy.
He began and has continued his research experience with the Verardi lab, where he studies vaccine design against emerging tick-borne viruses including SFTSV and Heartland virus. In the summer following his freshman year, he worked as a Holster Scholar investigating sex-related antibody responses to a Powassan virus vaccine. The next summer, he studied as a summer intern at Rocky Mountain Laboratories with the National Institutes of Health in Hamilton, Montana. There, he investigated tick-host interactions with a focus on skin-derived proteases and their role in tick-modulated wound healing.
Following graduation, he hopes to pursue further education in training in either a clinical or research setting. Outside of the lab, he enjoys reading, hiking, and is currently learning how to play the harmonica.
Student Research Blog Posts by Andrei: