Dr Cheryl Walter

Qualifications

• BSc (Rhodes University)
• MRes (Rhodes University)
• PhD (Rhodes University)
• PCAP (University of Hull)
• PGCert (Higher Education Academy)

Summary

I have a sustained research career in virology spanning 17 years. My postgraduate theses involved developing tools for characterizing novel insect viruses. I then spent 6 years as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Leeds, one of the biggest virology research hubs in the UK. Here, I worked on coupled transcription/translation mechanisms of emerging viruses, RNA-protein interactions and resolution of nucleoprotein structures and later, virus-host interactions focusing on RNA virus replication complexes.

I have continued to focus on virus-host interactomes and have substantial experience in handling infectious virus, rescue systems and key molecular virology approaches. I am currently involved in point of care testing device development for SARS-CoV-2 and Hepatitis C virus as well as investigating progeny virion egress pathways in Bunyaviruses, Coronaviruses and Flaviviruses.