ICVS Advanced Seminar “Survival strategies of malaria parasites in the dry season”

Next Monday at 1 pm, don’t miss Silvia Portugal “Survival strategies of malaria parasites in the dry season” at the A0.03 auditorium in UMinho’s School of Medicine.

Dr. Silvia Portugal’s academic journey began with a Biology degree from the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Porto, awarded in 2003. She advanced her expertise with a Ph.D. from the Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM) and the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Lisbon, completed in 2010. Her postdoctoral tenure at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from 2011 to 2016 was pivotal, as she conducted significant research into the molecular mechanisms of malaria pathogenesis. In 2016, Dr. Portugal took on the role of Junior Group Leader at Heidelberg University, where she led groundbreaking research projects until 2020. Her work during this period focused on deciphering the complexities of Plasmodium falciparum’s life cycle and its evasion of the human immune system. Since 2020, Dr. Portugal has been leading her research group at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology as a Lise Meitner Group Leader, a prestigious position within the Lise Meitner Excellence Program. Her group’s research has been pivotal in identifying key factors that contribute to the persistence of malaria parasites during the dry season, a crucial aspect of malaria transmission. Dr. Portugal’s research has been published in numerous high-impact scientific journals, establishing her as a thought leader in the field. Her insights into the adaptive strategies of malaria parasites and their implications for malaria control are particularly influential. As a speaker at major scientific conferences, Dr. Portugal’s presentations not only share her groundbreaking findings but also encourage collaborative efforts to combat malaria globally. Her curriculum vitae reflects her commitment to scientific inquiry, with a focused aim of improving global health outcomes through her research on malaria.