Ben Johnston
PhD Candidate
Email: bn735216@dal.ca
Why Dal?
The opportunity to do cutting edge research in a beautiful part of Canada with outstanding faculty in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology.
What inspires me
My research focuses on determining how Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) hijacks a cellular stress-mitigating pathway, the unfolded protein response (UPR), to promote virus replication. A better understanding of how the UPR is antiviral will allow for the development of more effective treatments against KSHV and potentially other viral pathogens.
Teaching, labs, research groups
- Member of Dr. Craig McCormick’s research group
- Assistant supervisor for USRA summer student and for 3rd year student enrolled in MICI 3620 Experiential Learning in Microbiology and Immunology
- Teaching Assistant – MICI 3114 Introductory Virology
Publications
- Khaperskyy, D.A., Emara, M.M., Johnston, B.P., Anderson, P., Hatchette, T.F., and McCormick, C. 2014. Influenza A virus host shutoff disables antiviral stress-induced translation arrest PLoS Pathog 10(7): e1004217. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1004217
- Corcoran, J.A., Khaperskyy, D.A., Johnston, B.P., King, C., Cyr, D.P., Olsthoorn, A., and McCormick, C. 2012. Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus G protein-coupled receptor prevents AU-rich element- mediated mRNA decay J. Virol. 86: 8859-8871
Awards, honours, conferences
- Scotia Scholarship (PhD level), Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation
- Cancer Research Training Program Scholarship from the Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute
- 1st place award winner of Poster Presentation at IHRTP Graduate Student Research Day, Dalhousie University
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Alexander Graham Bell CGS Scholarship
- Izaak Walton Killam Predoctoral Scholarship, Dalhousie University
- 1st place award winner of Poster Presentation at BHCRI 3rd Annual Cancer Research Conference. Halifax, NS.