Cecilia leads the newly formed Immuno–Stem Cell Dynamics group. She is a molecular and cellular biologist with a strong interest in understanding how immune regulation contributes to tissue homeostasis and regeneration. Her group’s research aims to uncover mechanisms of immune regulation in mediating stem cell clonality, tissue homeostasis and regeneration.
In her previous position, she was a Postdoctoral Scientist Fellow in Roche’s Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED) in Switzerland in the Translational Immunology Discovery Unit. At pRED, she focused on neutrophil biology and its potential translational approaches to mitigate inflammation in Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
Her academic background has provided a strong foundation in molecular mechanisms of immune regulation and epigenetic control. From 2021 to 2023, she did her postdoctoral work at Harvard University in the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. During this period, she trained in the laboratory of Prof. Dr. Leonard I. Zon, investigating the interplay between hematopoietic stem cells and macrophages.
She earned her PhD in Molecular Cell Biology (summa cum laude) in 2021 from the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Germany, under the supervision of Dr. Asifa Akhtar. She completed Master’s degree in Immunology at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, in 2015, where she received the award for Best Master Thesis of the year under Prof. Dr. José Alexandre M. Barbuto.
