On July 29, Chris Goodwin successfully defended his thesis, "The intersection of Human Cytomegalovirus infection and innate immune signaling", thereby obtaining his Ph.D. Chris found that the cellular IKK kinases limit the ability of Human Cytomegalovirus to initiate infection. Further, he found that the Human Cytomegalovirus UL26 protein prevents IKKB from inducing the expression of anti-viral interferon stimulated genes. Chris' work sheds new light on the measures and counter-measures taken by viruses and host cells to try to control the outcome of infection. Chris was mentored by Joshua Munger, and was awarded the Fred Sherman Biochemistry Award, the URBest Sharing Science Video Communication Award, and the Biochemistry Student Seminar Award. Good luck as you embark on your independent career Chris!