Yijie Ma, Ph.D.

Yijie is a postdoctoral research fellow with dual appointments to the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and the Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology at the Harvard Medical School (HMS). Yijie earned his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology in 2011 at the University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC). His thesis work concentrated on molecular interplay between viruses and human innate immune system. He discovered that an essential human kinase in antiviral immunity is targeted by one virulence factor of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV1), which is critical for HSV1 pathogenesis. After that, he undertook his first postdoctoral training at UIC where he developed an HSV1 attenuated vaccine and studied the molecular mechanisms behind the protective immunity induced by this vaccine. In 2014, he joined Dr. Elliott Kieff’s viral oncology group at BWH/HMS and worked closely with Dr. Gewurz. His work focuses on understanding Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) mediated B cell lymphomagenesis utilizing genome-wide and proteome-wide approaches. More specifically, he is investigating the role of NF-kB pathways in human B cell activation and transformation. Besides research, Yijie is a huge snowboarder and outdoor activity lover. He also enjoys going to concerts, festivals and other fun events with the company of some friends and beers.