My project will focus on the molecular mechanisms of the cancer causing virus, Epstein-Barr Virus. I plan to investigate the interactions between host immune responses and viral DNA repression in the context of the maintenance of viral latency. The termination of latency in infected cells plays an important role in the development of various B-cell lymphomas and epithelial cell-cancers. My project will be aimed at understanding how this virus exploits cellular physiology to drive unscheduled cell growth and how it persists in over 95% of humans.