Dr. Paul de Figueiredo
Principal Investigator
Dr. Paul de Figueiredo is a Professor in the Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology in the Texas A&M Health Center, and in the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine (Joint) at Texas A&M University. Dr. de Figueiredo has broad experience and training in molecular biology, cell biology, microbiology, and host-pathogen interactions, with specific expertise in functional genomics and pathogen intracellular trafficking.
Dr. de Figueiredo pursued undergraduate and Masters-level training at Rice University and Stanford University, respectively. As a graduate student at Cornell, Dr. de Figueiredo carried out research into the molecular mechanisms mediating membrane trafficking and lipid metabolism in mammalian cells. He expanded his research expertise as a postdoc at MIT, where he performed functional genomic experiments in a vertebrate model system (Zebrafish), and also, as a postdoc at the University of Washington, where he received training in microbiology.
His lab has actively pursued research into host mechanisms that control intracellular parasitism by viral, bacterial and fungal pathogens, including Brucella melitensis, the causative agent of one of the world’s most prevalent zoonotic diseases, and Cryptococcus neoformans, the world’s deadliest fungal pathogen. In addition, Dr. de Figueiredo has led collaborative projects with engineers. This work has pioneered the development of high-throughput, microsystem tools and technologies that illuminate novel biological processes, including mechanisms governing microbial physiology and host-pathogen interactions.
The de Figueiredo Lab 