Catherine Carrillo

Catherine Carrillo is an Adjunct Research Professor at Carleton University's Department of Biology, affiliated with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). She holds a B.Sc. from the University of Guelph and a Ph.D. from the University of Ottawa. Her research focuses on applying whole-genome sequencing (WGS) technologies to detect and characterize foodborne pathogens like Listeria, Salmonella, and VTEC. Her work emphasizes genomic tools for real-time diagnostics and improving pathogen recovery methods in food safety.

• Education: B.Sc. (University of Guelph), Ph.D. (University of Ottawa)

Her research interests include genomic analysis of bacterial virulence, antimicrobial resistance, and the development of WGS-based diagnostic protocols. She explores environmental impacts on microbiota via mouse models and prion protein gene polymorphisms in chronic wasting disease detection.

Recent publications highlight advancements in pathogen genomics, including new Shiga toxin subtypes and contamination detection tools like ConFindr. While no awards are listed, her contributions to food safety and microbial genomics are significant. She supervises graduate students on projects involving antibiotic resistance in microbiota and prion protein studies.

Her primary affiliation is with the CFIA, where she leads food microbiology research programs. She collaborates with academic institutions like Carleton University for graduate supervision and interdisciplinary projects.