B.Sc., Biology. University of Southern California. Los Angeles CA, USA

M.S., Microbiology. San Francisco State University. San Francisco CA, USA

As a Master’s student at San Francisco State University, Dwayne worked with Dr. Pleuni Pennings to track the evolution of HIV-1 before and after exposure to Truvada (emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) and rilpivirine used as PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis). He was particularly interested in whether HIV-1 drug resistance mutations would be completely purged from the viral population after an individual ceases their PrEP regimen. This work inspired his strong interest in evolution, specifically the capacity for populations to evolve in response to their environmental niche.

In 2019, Dwayne joined the Extavour lab as a graduate student in the BBS program, and worked with us until 2022.

His doctoral work was supported by a Predoctoral Fellowship from the Ford Foundation, and a Gilliam Fellowship from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.