Mario Pena-Hernandez

Mario graduated from Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León in Mexico with a major in Genomics and Molecular Biology. He worked with distinct viruses such as Measles, HIV, Zika, and Chikungunya under the mentorships of Dr. Laura Trejo-Ávila, Dr. Ana Rivas-Estilla, Dr. Stephen P. Goff, and Dr. Manuel Llano. After graduation, he worked as a Postgraduate Associate in the laboratory of Dr. Brett Lindenbach investigating the molecular replication of flaviviruses, using Yellow Fever virus as a model. Mario is currently working on his Ph.D. dissertation project under the mentorship of Dr. Akiko Iwasaki and Dr. Craig Wilen. He is studying the impact of human and bat innate antiviral responses in pathogenesis and pandemic potential of bat coronaviruses.