Jessica Bryant

Education ______________________________________________________________________________

08.2008 – 05.2014 Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology (Univ. of Pennsylvania, USA)

Concentration in Genetics and Gene Regulation
Advisor: Dr. Shelley L. Berger
Thesis Defense: 25 April, 2014
Dissertation: “Chromatin compaction and genome reorganization during spermatogenesis in musculus and sporulation in S. cerevisiae”
- Investigated the role of the linker histone in gene transcription and chromatin compaction during sporulation in cerevisiae
- Established the project addressing chromatin compaction during mammalian spermatogenesis
- Characterized the bromodomain-containing protein BRD4 during spermatogenesis in musculus and identified a potential link between extra-nuclear features and dramatic chromatin changes in the compacting sperm nucleus

08.2004 – 05.2008 B.S. in Cellular Biology, minor in French (Univ. of Georgia, USA)

GPA: 4.0, graduated with highest honors
Undergraduate research advisor (2005 – 2008): Dr. Jacek Gaertig
Honors thesis: “Katanin plays a role in microtubule dynamics and ciliary assembly in thermophila.”

Employment History and Training ______________________________________________________________________________

11.2020 – Present Chargée de recherche (Institut Pasteur, Paris, France)

Biology of Host-Parasite Interactions Unit, led by Dr. Artur Scherf (CNRS ERL 9195)
Investigating protein factors involved in the transcription and organization of the var multigene family

10.2014 – 10.2016 Postdoctoral Researcher (Institut Pasteur, Paris, France)

Biology of Host-Parasite Interactions Unit, led by Dr. Artur Scherf (CNRS ERL 9195)
Project: Transcriptional control of mutually exclusive var gene expression in Plasmodium falciparum
- Investigated the role of putative var gene DNA regulatory elements with marker-free CRISPR/Cas9 technology
- Adapted CRISPR/dCas9 immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry technology to identify protein factors bound to var gene DNA regulatory elements
- Adapted CRISPR interference

06–08.2015 Biology of Parasitism Course (Marine Biological Laboratories, USA)

05–08.2014 Postdoctoral Researcher (Univ. of Pennsylvania, USA)

06–07.2007 Undergraduate Research Program (New York University, USA)

Institutional Responsibilities ______________________________________________________________________________

05.2016 – 05.2019 Departmental Postdoc Representative (Institut Pasteur, Paris, France)

Responsibilities included social and professional support of postdoctoral researchers and representation of postdoctoral researcher interests to the leadership of the department and to the Institut Pasteur administration.

09.2008 – 04.2014 Biomedical Graduate Student Association (University of Pennsylvania, USA)

This student association organized social and professional activities to enrich the lives of graduate students and to further their careers in science. I was the vice chair of finance from May 2011 – May 2014.

Teaching Activities ______________________________________________________________________________

07.2018, 07.2019 Middle East Biology of Parasitism (University of Bern, Switzerland)

11.2017, 11.2018 Sorbonne University (Paris, France)

Lecture on epigenetics and antigenic variation for MSc2 students in parasitology

09–12.2011 Teaching Assistant (University of Pennsylvania, USA)

Helped to design and teach a graduate epigenetics course (BIOL483), directed by Dr. Doris Wagner

Organization of Conferences ______________________________________________________________________________

11.2018 CRISPR in Parasitology Symposium (Institut Pasteur, Paris, France)

Two-day international symposium, the goal of which was to share information and advice on how to establish/develop CRISPR techniques in various parasite and insect vector systems.

Prizes, Awards, and Fellowships ______________________________________________________________________________

• Biologie des interactions hôte-parasite • Chromatine et Transcription de Plasmodium