Rachel Jones

Rachel throwing a frisbee in an intense game of disc golf — Rachel showing off her athletic skills

Rachel jumping her horse over a hurdle — Mia showing off her athletic skills

Rachel.A.Jones@cuanschutz.edu

“I am excited to continue learning about RNA and RNA-related disease in the Kieft Lab. My current scientific interests lie in functionally and structurally characterizing a distinct set of non-coding RNA molecules belonging to flaviviruses. The objective of my project is to determine the structure of these RNA molecules in distantly related viruses and eventually understand the evolution of these RNA structures. As my studies progress, I plan to study other RNA molecules that play roles in high-mortality diseases.”

Like any other young person, Rachel's hobbies include bird watching, arts and crafts, and caring for her cats and plants. Although her dream job was to be a zoo vet, she is pretty happy with the route her career has taken. Her not-so-guilty pleasure is Cookies n’ Cream ice cream, which she considers part of a healthy, balanced diet.

A black cat and an orange kitty both staring off screen — Hitch and Nemo practicing synchronized glaring

A brown and white Australian shepherd wearing goggles, which we totally always wear in the lab and follow EHS rules — Meeko displaying proper PPE

Publications in the Kieft Lab

Jones RA, Steckelberg AL, Vicens Q, Szucs MJ, Akiyama BM, Kieft JS. Different tertiary interactions create the same important 3D features in a distinct flavivirus xrRNA. RNA. 2021 Jan;27(1):54-65. doi: 10.1261/rna.077065.120. Epub 2020 Oct 1. PMID: 33004436; PMCID: PMC7749634.