Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics

Training & Education

Dr. Thali received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Zürich, Switzerland in 1990. He did postdoctoral research with Joseph Sodroski at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Medical School and he was an Assistant Professor at the University of Lausanne before he joined the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics late in 1999. 

Research Interests

Overall, my group is interested in understanding how information (genetic, biochemical) can be transmitted from cell to cell and how such information flow determines the fate of cells, tissues, and ultimately organisms. The main object of our studies is the retrovirus HIV-1, though we also support investigations by colleagues who study other viruses or extracellular vesicles that serve as information carriers. Importantly, in all our projects we collaborate more or less extensively with other scientists, both on campus and at other institutions, thus forming transient alliances to tackle emerging questions.

While we use various virological and cell biological techniques for our investigations, particular emphasis is being placed on applying quantitative imaging methods. These include restoration fluorescence microscopy and super resolution microscopy for analyses of subcellular events and light sheet microscopy for analyses at the cell population level (with single cell resolution). Using such methods, a major thrust of our work aims at understanding the role that HIV-induced small T lymphocyte syncytia play in virus spread.