We are a highly collaborative group focused on understanding how arboviruses and other positive-sense single-stranded RNA viruses interact with their hosts at the molecular level. We are located in the Veterinary Medical Center.
Lab philosophy and values
Our lab is dedicated to conducting impactful research while fostering a culture of fairness, belonging, teamwork, professionalism, curiosity, and ethical conduct. We aim to contribute to both science and society through rigorous virology research and the dissemination of our findings.
We are dedicated to advancing the Belonging at Cornell framework, which is in line with Cornell’s founding principle “…any person… any study”.

Career opportunities
- We do not have opportunities at this time. See below the most common positions that may open in the future.
- Postdoctoral Fellow
We do not have openings for Postdocs at this time. Interested Postdoctoral candidates should contact Rafael with your curriculum vitae, the names of three references, and a cover letter outlining your research interests, short- and long-term career goals, and motivation to work with us.
- Cornell Graduate Students
We are not taking rotation students at this time. Our lab is currently able to accept rotation students from BBS and this can be expanded to other Cornell Graduate School fields. Interested student can contact us for more information and provide your curriculum vitae and why you are interested in rotating in the lab. For those not yet at Cornell Graduate School, please check application instructions, admission rate statistics, and deadlines for the specific program you are applying. During the application process and interviews, please feel free to indicate if you are interested in our lab.
- Undergraduate students
We are not accepting undergraduate students at the moment, but please check back for updates on potential opportunities. We will be particularly interested in students passionate about mosquito-borne viruses, virus-host interactions, cell biology, and RNA biology. Preference will be given to freshmen and sophomores who can commit 15 h weekly to the lab.


