Mateusz S Wietecha
Email Address: mwietec2@uic.eduCollege: Dentistry Department: Oral Biology
Title: Assistant Professor
Office: Room 435
Webpage: https://go.uic.edu/WietechaLab
Participating in the Chancellor’s Undergraduate Research Awards program: Yes
Research Interest:
In our lab we are fascinated by the complexity of wound healing, an evolutionarily optimized program for efficient repair of damaged tissue involving dozens of cell types and thousands of molecules interacting across space and time. While wounds in the oral cavity heal much faster than those in the skin, healing becomes dysregulated in many chronic diseases, including in diabetes (which causes wounds to heal poorly, or not at all) and in cancer (which has been described as an over-healing wound).
Only in recent years has it become possible to more fully appreciate the symphony of healing and its dysregulation in diseases by emerging multi-omic tools such as single-cell and spatial transcriptomics. Our research combines these multi-omics technologies and powerful tissue imaging methods in animal and cell models of healing with classic molecular biology tools, providing the ideal training for students interested in systems and molecular biology.
Our lab has a flexible, friendly and open environment. We emphasize scientific integrity, communication, teamwork and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Please check out our website for more information: https://go.uic.edu/WietechaLab Minimum time commitment in hours per week: 8 Qualifications of a Student:
Due to limited spaces available in our lab, interested students should contact the PI via email with the following information:
1. Statement of interest about our lab's research
2. Resume/CV describing academic background and any previous research experience
3. Acknowledgment of time and work expectations
We are seeking students who:
- are passionate about science
- are highly self-motivated
- are personally responsible
- have some experience and/or high interest in coding (R, Python) and bioinformatics
- have an academic background and interest in cell and molecular biology, medicine/dentistry, computer science, and/or bioengineering
- have a GPA of 3.0 or higher Brief Summary of what is expected from the student:
If selected, the student will begin their lab experience by completing a multi-day, self-paced and online training in R coding and bioinformatics methods. This will be followed by extensive readings in the areas of wound healing and bioinformatics. The student will be expected to update the PI on their progress on a weekly basis before the student is allowed to embark on a semi-independent research project in the lab.
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