Simon Lab Spotlight! Jessica Nardulli
Please meet Jessica Nardulli! Jessica joined the lab in 2022 and is one of our outstanding Clinical Research Coordinators.
Jessica recently presented a poster on her SARS-CoV-2 work at the Annual CEIRR Network Meeting in Athens, GA!
Q: What is your name, your title, and where are you from?
A: My name is Jessica Nardulli, I am a Clinical Research Coordinator, and I am originally from Long Island.
Q: What did you study for undergrad?
A: I went to Cornell University and majored in Biology and Society with a minor in Psychology.
Q: Cats or Dogs or Other?
A: I have a cat so I would have to say cats!
Q: What sparked your interest in virology research or led you to join the Simon and Mulder Lab?
A: I would probably say my interest started peaking around middle school when I started to take science classes and learn about the human body and how it works. Throughout college, I was very interested in what the Simon and Mulder lab was doing and with the impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic, it furthered my interest in virology and research.
Q: What is the most interesting part of your job?
A: I would say meeting new people. I enjoy communicating with and meeting a lot of interesting people on the clinical side of things.
Q: What is your favorite spot in all of New York?
A: I would have to say Central Park, especially the entrance right next to Mount Sinai – I enjoy taking my lunch out there, it helps break up the day.
Q: How did the COVID-19 Pandemic impact your position on research and virology?
A: Covid-19 really affected my entire college career, since it hit right as I was in college and so all of classes went online and there was a lot of talk about vaccines and at my graduation people either had to be vaccinated or have a negative covid test. I am convinced that my father only got the vaccine to see me graduate. So, I have personal experience with people being hesitant to getting the vaccine and that experience drove me to learn more about Covid-19 to help educate people on the many positives of the vaccine.
Q: What does a day in the lab look like?
A: I live in Philly, so my lab day is very different. I spend a lot of my time on Microsoft Teams and Zoom calls, but I still have a lot of Facetime with people in the lab, and I have a lot of interaction with study participants via email. I also do a lot of coding and analysis.
Q: Aside from being a great scientist, what would you describe as your personal superpower?
A: I would say my superpower is flavor – I really like to cook and experiment with different flavors and spices at home and make a lot of recipes at home.
Q: If you could share one piece of advice with people interested in research, what would it be?
A: I would say keeping an open mind and being very eager to learn – coming into the lab a lot of lingo went over my head and in asking questions and wanting to learn it made my life a lot easier to just situate myself and feel more comfortable. I would also say get out of your comfort zone and try new things!
Thank you Jessica for sharing your story and Aidan Vera for helping with the Spotlight Series!