Victoria

Calatrava

Victoria Calatrava Porras received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (2018) from the University of Cordoba (Spain) in the lab of Profs. Aurora Galvan and Emilio Fernandez. Her 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, which allows the alga to thrive under nitrogen limitation. She continued to investigate this algal-bacterial symbiosis as a postdoctoral fellow in the same lab until joining Carnegie in 2020. As a postdoc in Arthur Grossman and Devaki Bhaya’s labs, she is 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, she enjoys outdoor activities, live music, brewing beer and kombucha, and traveling.