Graduate Student
Matías was born and raised in Lima, Perú (where Karl the Fog’s distant cousin perpetually wanders) and studied Biology at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. There, he was first introduced to the fantastic realm of bacteria in lab, through a basic science lens by studying bacterial antibiotic resistance and an applied one, by working with colleagues on a bacterial engineering project for the iGEM competition. These experiences sparked his interest in the microscopic forces that shape our world.
Trying to bridge both basic and applied biology, Matías joined Seth Shipman’s lab at Gladstone Institutes in SF as an RA in 2022. There he studied retrons, a bacterial defense system against phages, to understand their mechanism and expanding their potential as genetic engineering tools. The idea of the molecular tug-of-war between bacteria-virus/host-pathogen as a tangible display of evolution was an avenue he found very exciting to explore during his time there.
In 2024, Matías moved across the street to UCSF as a PhD student researcher in the Tetrad program where he joined Jeannette Tenthorey’s lab. He was attracted by the idea that through dissecting eukaryotic innate immunity we can also answer big questions on evolution. He is very keen to understand different mechanisms of viral restriction and how they persist in the face of ever-changing retroviruses.
In his free time, Matías enjoys reading, rating films on Letterboxd and exploring this endless city. He is also getting more comfortable with what the California outdoors has to offer.
Trying to bridge both basic and applied biology, Matías joined Seth Shipman’s lab at Gladstone Institutes in SF as an RA in 2022. There he studied retrons, a bacterial defense system against phages, to understand their mechanism and expanding their potential as genetic engineering tools. The idea of the molecular tug-of-war between bacteria-virus/host-pathogen as a tangible display of evolution was an avenue he found very exciting to explore during his time there.
In 2024, Matías moved across the street to UCSF as a PhD student researcher in the Tetrad program where he joined Jeannette Tenthorey’s lab. He was attracted by the idea that through dissecting eukaryotic innate immunity we can also answer big questions on evolution. He is very keen to understand different mechanisms of viral restriction and how they persist in the face of ever-changing retroviruses.
In his free time, Matías enjoys reading, rating films on Letterboxd and exploring this endless city. He is also getting more comfortable with what the California outdoors has to offer.
Contact:
[email protected]
Pronouns: he/him
Pronouns: he/him