Alessandra Alves de Souza

Alessandra A. De Souza holds a postdoctoral degree in Plant-Microbe Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, a PhD in Genetics and Molecular Biology from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), an MSc in Microbiology from the University of São Paulo/ESALQ, and a BSc in Biological Sciences from the Catholic University of Pernambuco. She is a scientific researcher at the Agronomic Institute of Campinas (IAC) in São Paulo State and an external professor in the postgraduate program in Genetics and Molecular Biology at UNICAMP and IAC. Since 2020, she has also served as the RD Director of the Agronomic Institute of Campinas. Her primary research focus is the study of plant-pathogen interactions and the functional genomics of phytopathogenic bacteria. Her work encompasses genetically modified plants (citrus and model plants), genome editing, bacterial biofilms, and molecular plant-pathogen interactions. Dr. De Souza has received several prestigious awards, including the 2023 prize from the Brazilian Society of Plant Pathology for her initiative in editing the special issues Bacterial Citrus Diseases published in Tropical Plant Pathology. She was honored in 2021 by the São Paulo State Association of Scientific Researchers for her innovative contributions to Brazilian citrus farming and received a recognition certificate in 2018 from the Office of International Programs of the American Phytopathological Society (APS) for her research on citrus pathogens in Brazil. Earlier in her career, she received the BASF Top Science Award for Innovation in 2015, the Bunge Foundation Youth Award in Agribusiness in 2005, and the Young Geneticist Award from the Brazilian Society of Genetics. Dr. De Souza also supervises MSc and PhD students in the fields of plant-pathogen interactions, biotechnology, and genetic improvement, contributing to advancing research and education in sustainable agriculture and plant protection. (Source: Lattes Curriculum)