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I am interested in the way organisms evolve and the genetic basis behind these processes. My background is mainly ecological having worked with different groups such as crustaceans, protists, birds, oaks and cacti. This has given me a broad view of the way different organisms adapt to their environment. Now I will focus on plant evolution; what I like the most about this subject is the possibility to unveil the complex mechanisms that control the incredible developmental plasticity plants exhibit. In my PhD I’ll be analyzing the evolution of floral morphology in snapdragon from a molecular and ecological perspective. This information will help us to explain how subtle changes in the developmental patterns of the organisms can have enormous consequences for life on the planet.

I am passionate about infectious diseases and its dynamics. My career has led me from studying medicine in Portugal to working in humanitarian emergencies with Médecins Sans Frontières in Brazil and Yemen. As a specialist medical doctor in Public Health and travel medicine, and an infectious disease epidemiologist my research goal is to improve our understanding of infectious diseases, to comprehend the effect of interventions on the transmission and populations, and our ability to predict disease dynamics. I will work on chikungunya, a viral disease that is transmitted through mosquitoes, which puts 3.6 billion people at risk throughout South and Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America. Infection can lead to severe complications that can last for months. Moreover, chikungunya epidemics are often explosive resulting in many infections. Despite the significant burden of disease, there remains a poor understanding of the disease dynamics. At the University of Cambridge, I will work in the Pathogen Dynamics Group and I will clarify the spatiotemporal distribution, as well as the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of chikungunya infections, focusing on the Asian continent.

Previous Education

Harvard University Clinical Research 2021
Universidade Nova de Lisboa Public Health 2019

I am from Seville, a city in the south of Spain. I started my academic journey at the University of Seville, where I completed a BSc in Biochemistry and a Master's in Molecular Genetics. During this time I was mesmerised by the complexity of life at the molecular level. I am particularly fascinated by the mechanisms Eukaryotic cells use to store their genetic information in the cell nucleus. Throughout my PhD, I seek to understand one of the great marvels of physical chemistry, how our meter-long DNA manages to condense dramatically to fit into the micrometre cell nucleus. This is an open question with huge implications for human health as it regulates how genes work. This question needs the lenses of physical chemistry to be solved. For this reason, the application of chromatin multiscale computational models—able to link the individual nucleosome behaviour to the whole chromatin organization—will help us to understand the basis of chromatin material properties.

Previous Education

Universidad de Sevilla Genetica Molecular 2024
Universidad de Sevilla Bioquimica 2023

HE professional with over fifteen years of teaching and research experience in human geography and the humanities. Additionally, nearly a decade of experience in the coordination and management of international educational programs, research agendas, and development projects with significant budget, human resource management, and logistical responsibilities.

Previous Education

Princeton University MA Latin American Literatures and Cultures 2005
Portland State University MA Francophone Literatures and Cultures 1998
Portland State University MA Catalan Literature 1998

I was born and raised in Lima, Peru. I moved to the UK to pursue a career as a research scientist committed to have a positive impact on the quality of life of patients worldwide. With my grandmother having been recently cured from skin carcinoma and a family history of breast cancer, I became actively involved in cancer research. However, I became aware of less treatable, devastating conditions with unknown causes, such as neurodegenerative disorders. These are becoming a major threat to public health due to the phenomenon of the ageing population. My work at Cambridge will therefore focus on the study of the early events that lead to neuronal death in Parkinson’s disease. I hope to identify agents that can delay disease progression since current treatments only address the symptoms, rather than the causes of neurodegeneration. Additionally, I aim to establish links with centres in Latin America to promote research and the role of women in science back home.

Links

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/jessica-santivanez/88/84b/864