Carolina is a biologist turned molecular parasitologist who studies how sex, fusion, and evolution intersect in Leishmania.

She earned her PhD in Cellular Biology and Parasitology from UFRJ (Brazil) and has worked in many cool places, including the University of Glasgow, the University of York, and Unicamp, before joining the NIH (NIAID, Sacks Lab) for her final postdoc, where she fell in love with sand flies, cell fusion, and the beauty of the cryptic sexual cycle in Leishmania.

She recently returned to Brazil to start her own lab at ICB-USP, where she’s currently doing science, starting a sand fly colony, making endless lab shopping lists, and possibly fixing the air conditioner. Sometimes all in the same day.

Her research combines cell biology, genetics, omics, and evolutionary thinking to understand how sexual reproduction emerged and diversified in early eukaryotes (but mostly, how it actually works in Leishmania). She’s also passionate about mentoring young scientists, building collaborative spaces, and finding humor in the daily chaos of academic life.

Outside the lab, Carolina enjoys vegan cooking, music with a good bassline, and planning her next trip, usually to somewhere with unreliable Wi-Fi.