Biography

Gil Torten is an senior undergraduate researcher who is obtaining a biology degree in UCSB’s College of Creative Studies (CCS). In early 2017, after gaining valuable research experience in the Fisher Retinal Cell Biology Lab, Gil shifted interests and joined the Arias Lab. Gil is working to elucidate the structure of KSHV (Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus) chromatin during the lytic cycle. He is also intrigued by the intersection of neurobiology and virology and is exploring how Zika Virus interacts with the UPR (unfolded protein response) in neural cells. Gil was awarded a 2018 URCA grant to help facilitate some of his research, and he presented his work at RACA-CON in both 2017 and 2018. Gil is passionate about biology but is also an award-winning ceramic artist and sculptor, a third degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and an Advanced Open Water scuba diver.

Research Area

GIl explored the structure of KSHV chromatin during the lytic cycle and how Zika Virus interacts with the UPR. Gil is now a PhD student at UCLA

He is currently a PhD student at UCLA