UNC School of Medicine third-year PhD student Celeste Robles and PhD advisor Helen Lazear named in 2025 cohort of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Gilliam Fellows Program.
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) selected 30 graduate students for the 2025 cohort of the Gilliam Fellows Program, representing 23 different institutions across the United States. UNC School of Medicine third-year PhD student Celeste Robles and her advisor Helen Lazear, PhD, Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, were named one of the student-advisor pairs in its 20th cohort of Fellows.
Through this program, HHMI supports both graduate students and their faculty thesis advisors. Fellows receive up to three years of PhD dissertation support alongside numerous opportunities to connect with peers, program alumni, and HHMI scientists at every career stage. Both students and advisors benefit from tailored professional development programming and become part of HHMI’s vibrant scientific community.
Robles’s research in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology involves herpes simplex virus (HSV) pathogenesis. HSV, a life-long infection that hides in neurons in between disease episodes, causes cold sores, genital herpes, and more severe diseases. In her research, Robles is developing mouse infection systems that will allow us to better understand neuronal infection by this virus. The research examines which kinds of neurons the virus targets and what triggers the virus to reactivate from its latent state in neurons to cause disease. The project is in collaboration with colleagues in the laboratory of Greg Scherrer, PharmD, PhD, at the UNC Neuroscience Center.
Additionally, Robles is investigating the role of hormonal status in susceptibility to vaginal HSV infection and recurrent disease in mice. She says her mentor, Dr. Lazear, has been very supportive throughout her scientific journey, especially by encouraging her to apply for the Gilliam Fellowship.
“Dr. Lazear cultivates a lab environment that promotes both scientific and personal growth,” said Robles. “Becoming a great scientist takes a village, and the people in the Lazear Lab and my UNC/IMSD community are an incredible village. I’m deeply honored and grateful to have been chosen as a 2025 Gilliam Fellow, and I can’t wait to join the HHMI community and continue to develop as a future scientific leader.”
Dr. Lazear says she is thrilled to join the Gilliam program with Celeste. “Through this program, HHMI provides support to pairs of mentors and fellows, a key investment in fostering outstanding training environments for the next generation of scientists,” she explained. “We are excited to apply neuroscience approaches to key questions in the virology field.”