Mary Lopez-Perez

Mary Lopez-Perez serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. She is affiliated with both the Centre for Translational Medicine and Parasitology (CMP) and the SURFACE research team, maintaining an active research profile in malaria immunology with international collaborations spanning Denmark, Netherlands, USA, Ghana, Brazil, Venezuela, and Colombia.

Her educational background includes a PhD in Basic Biomedical Sciences with a minor in Molecular Biology from Universidad de Antioquia in Colombia. Her academic career at the University of Copenhagen has progressed from Postdoc (2016-2019), to Assistant Professor (2020-2023), and currently to Associate Professor (2024-present) in a non-tenure track position funded externally.

Dr. Lopez-Perez's research focuses on the complex interplay between malaria parasites and human immunity, particularly examining naturally acquired immunity to P. falciparum and P. vivax in vulnerable populations. Her work investigates antibody effector functions, immuno-evasion mechanisms, host-parasite interactions, and the impact of hemoglobinopathies on malaria susceptibility. She has conducted controlled human malaria infection studies to understand immune responses and has explored airway immunity to viral infections as a secondary research interest.

Her publication record demonstrates consistent output in high-impact journals, with recent 2025 publications examining Fc-afucosylation of malaria-specific antibodies, TLR9 polymorphisms affecting antibody responses, and biomarkers of mosquito exposure. These works collectively advance understanding of immune correlates of protection against malaria, with implications for vaccine development and malaria control strategies.

As an educator, she teaches the Master's course 'Chronic Inflammation: From Basic Research to Therapy' (7.5 ECTS) and the Bachelor's course 'Cellular and Molecular Immunology' (7.5 ECTS) at the University of Copenhagen. Her mentoring portfolio includes co-supervising a PhD student from the University of Ghana, two Master's students in medicine at Copenhagen, and five Bachelor's students from multiple international institutions.

Dr. Lopez-Perez maintains an active role in the scientific community as an Ad-hoc Editor for PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases since 2020 and has served as a peer reviewer for numerous prestigious journals including The Lancet Global Health, BMC Medicine, and Malaria Journal. Her extensive network of international collaborators supports her field research in malaria-endemic regions, particularly in Ghana where much of her recent work has been conducted.