Caroline Junqueira

Caroline Junqueira is a Group Leader at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) in Switzerland, where she directs the Laboratory of Immunobiology. Her career spans institutions including Federal University of Minas Gerais (Brazil), Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (USA), University of Notre Dame (USA), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Brazil), and Harvard Medical School (USA), where she worked until 2023. She was awarded the best PhD thesis in Brazil (2012) for her work on a cancer vaccine using Trypanosoma cruzi as a vector and became an Affiliate Member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (2019).

Education:

• Master’s in Biochemistry, Federal University of Minas Gerais
• PhD in Immunology, Federal University of Minas Gerais

Her research focuses on immunobiology, particularly the cell biology of immune effector mechanisms in malaria, Chagas disease, and cancer immunotherapy. She explores CD8+ T cells, NK cells, inflammasome activation, and gasdermin proteins in parasitic and tumor immunity.

Scientific Awards:

• Best PhD thesis in Brazil (2012)
• Affiliate Member, Brazilian Academy of Sciences (2019)

She has published extensively on Trypanosoma cruzi-based vaccines, immune cell interactions with pathogens, and pyroptosis in disease. Her work bridges infectious disease immunology and cancer vaccine development, with recent studies on Malaria, Leishmania, and COVID-19 pathogenesis.

Junqueira leads the Laboratory of Immunobiology at IRB, focusing on cellular mechanisms of immunity and translational applications for infectious and neoplastic diseases.