Ariana Nielson | 2026 SURF Participant

Ariana Nielsen is a junior majoring in biochemistry with a minor in chemistry. Her interests include research related to infectious disease and CRISPR-Cas9 therapies for genetic disorders. At Illinois, Ariana works in the Mera Lab studying a chromosome partitioning protein that regulates how bacteria organize and coordinate their cell cycles using the model organism Caulobacter crescentus. She is also a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, an honors organization recognizing academic achievement. During a 2024 summer internship with Agri-King, Ariana studied and controlled pathogenic bacteria in agricultural systems to improve feed quality. At Mayo Clinic, she will work with Dr. Patricia Devaux in the Virology and Gene Therapy Lab to analyze and improve viral vector platforms for therapies targeting hematologic genetic disorders such as sickle cell anemia. She hopes to pursue a PhD and a career as a biomedical scientist focused on immunology or virology.