Fernando Rodrigues

Fernando Rodrigues received a BSc in Biological Engineering from University of Minho, Portugal, in 1995. He received a MSc in Microbial Molecular Genetics in 1998, and a PhD in Biological Sciences in 2001, from the same University. His dissertation work involved the characterization of molecular bases associated with the resistance of the food spoilage yeast Zygosaccharomyces bailii to acidic environments, under the supervision of Dr. Manuela Côrte-Real and Dr. Cecília Leão. During his MSc and PhD, he was a visiting scientist in the Kluyver Laboratory for Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, working with Dr. Jack Pronk and in the Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, Clusius Laboratory, Leiden University, The Netherlands, working with Dr. Yde Steensma. He joined the faculty of School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Portugal, in 2001, being currently an Associate Professor. Fernando Rodrigues integrates the Infectious Diseases domain of Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), from the School of Medicine, at the University of Minho. His principal goal is to contribute for the elucidation of mechanisms underlying invasive fungal infections, namely 1) the pathogenicity of the infectious agent (particularly in Paracoccidioides spp), and 2) the contribution of host genetic variations within the fine-tuning immune mechanisms that account for an increased risk among the high-risk of immunosuppressed patients.