Simon Lab Spotlight! Dr. Giacomo Butta
Dr. Giacomo Butta, Postdoctoral Fellow, from Milan, Italy
PhD in Virology from the University of Milan, Italy
Giacomo with other current and former Simon Lab members enjoying the Annual Retrovirus Meeting at Cold Spring Harbor Labs in New York!
Photo Credits: Constance Brukin
Q. Cats or Dogs or Other?
A. I love Dogs, but I haven't had either, so I don’t have a strong preference!
Q. What sparked your interest in virology research or led you to join the Simon and Mulder Lab?
A. I find the diversity of viruses in the world fascinating and really enjoy working in the lab environment. The Simon and Mulder Lab has two Professors who are experts in their field, and I want to learn all I can from them.
Q. What is the most interesting part of your job?
A. Being the first one to do something and discovering new things.
Q. What is your favorite spot in New York?
A. The Reservoir in Central Park.
Q. How did the Pandemic impact your position on research and virology?
A. Seeing what Covid-19 was doing to the world put into perspective how important and vital virology research is and made me realize because of the research virologists are doing, the world is a safer place.
Q. What does a day in the lab look like?
A. My day generally consists of a couple of experiments in the wet lab, including pipetting and performing experiments with plates and cells. I also typically do some data analysis and figure out how to communicate my data in a presentable way.
Q. Aside from being a great post-doc, what would you describe as your personal superpower?
A. I think my superpower is how well I work with others in the lab and the positivity I bring with me everywhere I go!
Q. If you could share one piece of advice with people interested in research, what would it be?
A. I would say do what you love doing. If I would've listened to what everyone in college or in my life told me to do, I would probably not be working at the Simon and Mulder Lab or even be in the field of Virology in the first place.
Giacomo recently presented some of his work on HIV at the Annual American Society for Virology (ASV) Conference!
Thank you Giacomo for sharing his story as well as Aidan Vera for helping with the Spotlight Series!