Meet Dr Joseph Taft working on protein-engineering in immunology
The US national in the Laboratory for Systems and Synthetic Immunology of Professor Sai Reddy applies tools in protein engineering and machine learning to the field of immunology. It is his first time living abroad and he believes there is no better location for living than Basel.
What did you know about D-BSSE before you came here, and what was your motivation to come to ETH Zurich?
I knew ETH Zurich from the protein-engineering research which I read throughout my PhD studies at the University of Texas. Sai Reddy gave a seminar to his former lab in Texas a couple of years ago, and afterwards we discovered our shared research interest over a couple of beers.
What were your expectations and were your expectations met since you arrived in Basel?
I was told Basel was a “small town”, which is true, but not in the same sense as an American town of the same population size. I love that Basel is compact and easy to get around by foot, bike, or public transport.
And, what were your first impressions?
Everything is so different than anywhere I’ve lived in the US. This is my first time living abroad, so I’m learning to embrace being out of my element.
Which research will you pursue at D-BSSE?
During my postdoc at D-BSSE I will apply the skills from my previous work in protein engineering and machine learning to immunology, which is a new field to me. Our research will focus on improving protein drugs and their interaction with the immune system. I’m looking forward to learning and contributing to a new field.
Which hobby or private interests do you hope to pursue in Switzerland?
I love to hike, travel, and go to museums, so I’m not sure I could have picked a better location for living than Basel. The trip I am most looking forward to is biking along the Rhine to The Netherlands.
Thank you and good luck with your research!
Joseph Taft received his Bachelor degree in genetics from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, USA, in 2009. He then moved to Chicago to work as a technician together with Dr. Shohei Koide in the field of antibody engineering. In 2011, Joseph began his PhD studies in biochemistry at the University of Texas at Austin working on how drug resistance arises in cancer patients, utilizing engineered yeast as a model. Since January 2019, Joseph is a postdoctoral researcher in the Laboratory for Systems and Synthetic Immunology of Professor Sai Reddy.