ARCS® Foundation Phoenix is honored to present the 2023-2024 Scholar Awards to these outstanding PhD candidates from Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and University of Arizona. The ARCS Foundation Scholar Award is $8,500 per year. All scholars must apply for ARCS Scholar Awards with their universities on an annual basis.
Ph.D. Candidate in Molecular Medicine
Pierce received a BS and an MS in Mooecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Arizona
Pierce is currently a 4th year PhD candidate studying virus-host interactions pertaining to the enigma of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) latency, an incredibly complex virus and member of the herpes virus family with significant health impact in the immunocompromised transplant and cancer patients. His current studies investigate how HCMV hijacks host DNA replication and repair machinery for viral objectives during replicative and latent infection cycles.