Alejandro Manzano Marín

Alejandro Manzano Marín is a Senior Scientist at the University of Vienna's Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, specifically the Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science. His career bridges host-microbe symbioses, evolutionary genomics, and bioinformatics.

• Education: PhD in Biotechnology (University of Valencia, 2016), MSc in Molecular, Cell Biology and Genetics (University of Valencia, 2011), Bachelor in Genomic Sciences (UNAM, 2010)
• Previous Positions: Postdoctoral Researcher at INRA, France (2016-2019)

Research Focus: Investigates obligate nutritional endosymbionts in aphids and blood-feeding leeches, analyzing genome reduction, symbiont replacement, and metabolic complementation. Key projects include SymBirth (artificial symbiont development) and studies on Haementeria officinalis leech symbioses.

Scientific Contributions: Published 30+ articles, including 2025 studies on Sodalis nezarae symbiosis and Discoba codon usage mismatches. His work integrates whole-genome sequencing, microscopy, and phylogenetic analysis.

• Major Awards:
  • CONACyT PhD Fellowship (2014)
  • Marie Curie COFUND Postdoctoral Fellowship (2016)
  • Marie Curie ITN PhD Fellowship (2011)

Outreach: Active in science communication through Bluesky and Twitter, with media coverage on European Medicinal Leech Genome projects. Invited speaker at international conferences on symbiont turnover (2025) and evolutionary impacts (2025).