Victoria Calatrava Porras

My name is Victoria (Vickie) and I received my Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (2018) from the University of Cordoba (Spain) in the lab of Profs. Aurora Galvan and Emilio Fernandez. My research focused on the assimilation of nitrogen by algae using the model microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, as well as revealing insights of a new mutualistic interaction between this alga and the plant-benefiting bacteria Methylobacterium spp. that allows the alga to thrive under nitrogen limitation. I continued to investigate this algal-bacterial symbiosis as a postdoc fellow in the same lab until I joined Carnegie in 2020. As a postdoc in Profs. Arthur Grossman and Devaki Bhaya’s labs, I am currently investigating a more intimate symbiotic interaction between the amoeba Paulinella and its cyanobacterial endosymbiont to gain insights into the origin and evolution of photosynthetic organelles. Outside of the lab I enjoy outdoor activities, live music, brewing beer and kombucha, and traveling.