Filipa Rijo-Ferreira

Filipa Rijo-Ferreira is an Assistant Professor at the Berkeley School of Public Health with a joint appointment in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California Berkeley. Her research focuses on the interplay between circadian rhythms and parasitic diseases, particularly malaria and Trypanosoma brucei infections.

• PhD in Molecular Parasitology from University of Porto
• MSc in Molecular Genetics and Biomedicine from Nova University of Lisbon & Imperial College London
• BA in Cell and Molecular Biology from Nova University of Lisbon
• Postdoctoral research at UT Southwestern Medical Center

Rijo-Ferreira's work fundamentally challenges assumptions about parasite biology by demonstrating that pathogens like Plasmodium and Trypanosoma brucei possess intrinsic circadian clocks that synchronize with host rhythms. This discovery has profound implications for optimizing treatment timing and understanding disease transmission patterns. Her lab integrates molecular parasitology, mosquito vector biology, and immunometabolism to explore how temporal coordination shapes infection outcomes.

Key publication trends show a consistent focus on:

• Parasite circadian gene expression networks
• Host-pathogen clock synchronization
• Chronotherapy applications in infectious disease
• Metabolic circadian interactions
• Vector transmission timing
• Immune system temporal regulation

Scientific recognition includes:

• NIH Pathway to Independence Award
• Chan Zuckerberg BioHub Investigator
• 2023 Searle Scholar
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute award for outstanding early career faculty
• Hypothesis Fund seed grant recipient

Her research program explores how temporal organization of parasite biology creates vulnerabilities for intervention, particularly through:

• Disrupting parasite clock genes
• Optimizing drug administration timing
• Understanding vector-parasite circadian coevolution