789: Studying the Molecular Mechanisms Important for the Parasite that Causes Malaria - Dr. Karine Le Roch

Dr. Karine Gaelle Le Roch is a Professor in the Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease and Vector Research at the University of California, Riverside. Karine’s research focuses on parasites, and much of her work has focused on the parasite that causes malaria in humans. She is working to better understand the life cycle of the parasite, how the molecular components in its body work together, and how the parasite’s function can be disrupted after a person has been infected in order to treat and cure malaria. When she’s not doing science, Karine enjoys sailing in the San Diego Bay, skiing in the winter, spending time with her son, and watching him play soccer. She received her BA in Biochemistry and Microbiology from the University Paris-Sorbonne, her MS in host-parasite interactions between Oxford University in the UK and the University of Lille in France, and her PhD in Parasitology and host-parasite interactions from the University Paris-Sorbonne. Afterwards, she conducted postdoctoral research at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla and subsequently she was an Institute Fellow at the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation. Karine joined the faculty at UCR in 2006. She has earned various honors and awards throughout her career, including the Academic Senate Regent Award for Outstanding Research from the University of California, she was a participant in the Provost Faculty Leadership Program at UCR and the University of California’s Women’s Initiative for Professional Development. In our interview, Karine shares more about her life and science.