I am a Research Project Scientist, Level 2 at Dr. Kirk Jensen’s laboratory, University of California, Merced. I obtained my degree in Biology from the National University of Colombia and completed my M.Sc. and Ph.D. in immunoparasitology at the Oswaldo Cruz Institute in Rio de Janeiro (IOC-FIOCRUZ), Brazil.
I am an immunoparasitologist with a broad background in human and mouse immunology and data analysis. Over the past 17 years, I have focused my research on understanding how the immune system is shaped and affected by pathogens, primarily those that affect less privileged populations, with the aim of subsequent application to vaccine development. During my graduate training, I had the opportunity to study immunology of American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, Malaria, and Intestinal Coinfections in humans. During my first postdoctoral training, I studied the immunological consequences of coinfection with Zika, Dengue, and Chikungunya. While working at (FIOCRUZ), I conducted my research in interdisciplinary teams comprising researchers and clinicians, maintaining close contact with patients affected by tropical diseases.
During my second postdoctoral training experience at the University of California, Merced, I used a combination of genetic screens, molecular biology, and immunology to study the immune requirements for parasitic diseases, with a specific focus on Toxoplasmosis. In addition to my wet-lab experience, I sought to enrich my bioinformatics and data analysis skills during my graduate courses. Because of the training I received, I am familiar with integrating computational analyses of multivariate immunological data from my own datasets or from datasets generated in collaborations with other researchers.
Altogether, moving between human and murine immunology, mouse genetics, and computational workflows has shaped my research vision about host-pathogen problems and potential solutions. I want to continue putting these skills to work, not just to uncover basic biological mechanisms, but to help design better vaccines and immune interventions for Neglected Tropical Diseases.
