Professor Elizabeth Villa (University of California, San Diego), known for her pioneering research in cryogenic electron tomography (cryoET), visited UCLA on October 20 to give the Fall 2025 Chemistry & Biochemistry Distinguished Lecture.
Enthusiastic students, postdoctoral researchers, staff and faculty members attended the lecture in the Dongwon Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall in the Mani L. Bhaumik Collaboratory in Young Hall. A reception followed the lecture in the Collaboratory study area.
In her lecture, titled “Discovering Chimallivirus Biology with In-Cell Cryo-EM”, Villa showcased how her team leverages cryoET to capture high-resolution, three-dimensional snapshots of bacteriophage infection processes, revealing the dynamic assembly of viral capsids within host bacterial cells. Her studies have illuminated previously unseen mechanisms of Chimalliviruses replicate within bacteria, advancing our understanding of viral-host interactions essential for developing targeted antimicrobial therapies.
Select photos from the event can be viewed below, and the full photo gallery is available here.
Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penjen@g.ucla.edu.
