Michael Wilczek

Dr. Michael Wilczek joined the Roux Institute at Northeastern University in August 2021 as a postdoctoral research and teaching fellow. Wilczek received his PhD in microbiology from the University of Maine. His dissertation focused on understanding how a human-specific virus could infect the central nervous system and cause a fatal disease using bioinformatics and complementary cell-based assays. At UMaine, he received numerous awards for his teaching, research, mentorship, and public service, including the Susan J. Hunter Teaching Fellowship, the Outstanding Service Award, and the Edith M. Patch Outstanding PhD Student Award.

Before his graduate study at UMaine, Wilczek worked at the New York State Health Department and volunteered in the Wadsworth Center at the Arbovirus Laboratory.

Research Overview

Wilczek’s current research areas are in observational health, generating and analyzing real-world evidence, and becoming better versed in bench-to-bedside research. In addition, he is interested in reimagining graduate education, using evidence-based teaching practices to improve graduate education and better prepare graduate students for either academia or industry post-degree.

Areas of Expertise

• Microbiology
• Data Science
• Virology

Publications

• MP Wilczek, AMC Pike, SE Craig, MS Maginnis, BL King, “Rearrangement in the hypervariable region of JC polyomavirus genomes isolated from patient samples and impact on transcription factor-binding sites and disease outcomes”, International Journal of Molecular Sciences 23 (10), 5699
• MP Wilczek, JK DuShane, FJ Armstrong, MS Maginnis, “JC polyomavirus infection reveals delayed progression of the infectious cycle in normal human astrocytes,” Journal of Virology 94 (5), e01331-19
• MP Wilczek, FJ Armstrong, RP Geohegan, CL Mayberry, JK DuShane, “The MAPK/ERK Pathway and the Role of DUSP1 in JCPyV Infection of Primary Astrocytes,” Viruses 13 (9), 1834
• MP Wilczek, FJ Armstrong, CL Mayberry, BL King, MS Maginnis, “PI3K/AKT/MTOR Signaling Pathway Is Required for JCPyV Infection in Primary Astrocytes,” Cells 10 (11), 3218
• JK DuShane, MP Wilczek, MA Crocker, MS Maginnis, “High-throughput characterization of viral and cellular protein expression patterns during JC polyomavirus infection,” Frontiers in Microbiology 10, 783
• Read more on Google Scholar