Joana studied Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Porto and was an Erasmus exchange student at the University of Glasgow as part of her master's research project. She received multiple awards as the best student of her academic year. She was later awarded a fellowship in 2012 to do her PhD between the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology (IBMC) in Porto and the Institut Pasteur in South Korea, where she studied enzymes involved in carbon and amino acid metabolism as potential drug targets against Leishmania and T. brucei. There, Joana acquired a diverse skillset ranging from molecular genetics to cell biology, biochemistry and drug discovery. 

Joana's passion for virulence mechanisms, host pathogen interactions and gene expression led her to Dundee in 2016 to do a postdoc on mechanisms underpinning antigenic variation in T. brucei with Prof. David Horn. This has remained her true passion, as well as nuclear organisation, nuclear bodies and protein condensates and how those impact gene expression. Joana was awarded the Molecular and Cell Biology Prize 2020 (University of Dundee) and the SULSA ECR Prize in Regulation and Development (2020). 

In 2021, Joana was awarded a Sir Henry Dale Fellowship (2021), funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Royal Society, and the Wellcome-Beit Prize to establish her lab at the University of York.

Recently she has been appointed a proleptic Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences at the University of York (Biology) and has received the President's Medal from the British Society of Parasitology (2022). 

Joana is a music and cinema aficionado. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music and going to concerts, cooking, travelling, walking in the beautiful English countryside, going to museums and art galleries. 

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Htay obtained her Bachelor of Science (Hons), with specialisation in Biomedical Sciences from the National University of Singapore (NUS). She subsequently completed her PhD at NUS, where she investigated stress granules and starvation-induced stress responses in Trypanosoma brucei. She then pursued postdoctoral training at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, focusing on cellular crowding and phase separation. Htay has a strong interest in biomolecular condensates and their roles in dynamic cellular processes. In the Faria Lab, she aims to leverage her extensive expertise in various microscopy techniques, from super-resolution to dynamic live-cell imaging, to investigate the spatiotemporal composition and properties of nuclear bodies, and their role in the regulation of gene expression. In her spare time, Htay enjoys long walks, volunteering, and occasionally cooking Burmese dishes, though the originals at home are hard to beat!

Natalie is a PhD student on the YBDTP scheme at the University of York. She completed her integrated Masters degree at the University of Leeds in Natural sciences, specialising in Biology and Biochemistry. During her studies, she spent a year at Charles River Laboratories where she developed a strong passion for laboratory research through involvement in a diverse range of collaborative drug discovery projects. 

Throughout Natalie’s undergraduate studies she developed a particular interest in genetics and parasitology, culminating in her final year lab project investigating the genetic susceptibility of mice to Toxoplasma gondii and the behavioural changes associated with chronic infection. Natalie is eager to apply her existing skills to a new parasite system and further explore the mechanisms by which parasites evade host immune responses. 

Outside the laboratory, Natalie enjoys a variety of team sports, including rowing and korfball, as well as hiking and exploring the outdoors. In her spare time, she also practices yoga and enjoys relaxing with a good book. 

Will is a PhD student at the University of York and is a part of the DiMeN DTP research scheme. He obtained his integrated master’s degree in chemistry at the University of York, UK, and studied at Tohoku University in Japan for the last year of the programme. During his degree, he took an interest in medical biology and gene regulation and decided to switch his research focus to broaden his skill set and pursue his interest in biological sciences, leading him to apply for his current position in the Faria lab. Will is looking into the regulatory role of SUMOylation and its effects on nuclear body formation and immune evasion in trypanosomes. 

Outside of work, Will is an avid climber and enjoys indoor bouldering at the Red Goat in York with his friends and is slowly getting into outdoor sport climbing as well. He also continues to study Japanese and plans to visit again soon when the time is right. 

Since the start of his scientific career, João has been driven by a desire to understand, characterize, and ultimately help prevent infectious diseases, particularly those caused by neglected parasitic pathogens. He is passionate about understanding the complex genomes of trypanosomatids, the evolutionary and ecological factors shaping parasite populations, and the host immune responses that determine infection outcomes.

João obtained a BSc in Biology and an MSc in Parasitology in UFMG (Brazil). During this time, he combined genome-wide approaches with experimental validation to identify diagnostic targets for Chagas disease and leishmaniasis. His growing interest in computational biology led him to pursue a PhD in Bioinformatics at UFMG, including a one-year secondment at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in Boston, USA. During his PhD and subsequent postdoctoral work, he specialised in comparative genomics, contributing to the discovery of large-scale aneuploidies in Trypanosoma cruzi and characterizing the Trypanosome Ancient Supernumerary Chromosome (TASC), a unique chromosome that is consistently tetrasomic across most trypanosomatid species. João also enjoys teaching, training and mentoring students. He worked for two years as a Teaching and Research Associate in Bioinformatics at the UFMG, where he delivered courses in phylogenetics, comparative genomics, and virulence assessment.
 

João joined the University of York as a Research Associate in the Jeffares group, where he expanded his expertise into large-scale population and quantitative genomics. His work focused on characterising parasite population structure, dating parasite movements across the globe and investigating peri-urban and sylvatic Leishmania populations in the Amazon. He later joined the Kaye group, where he extended his knowledge to integrate the human host, investigating immune and metabolic alterations in visceral leishmaniasis patients before and after treatment, as a part of the Immstat@cure consortium. In this group, he is also involved in the characterization of cutaneous leishmaniasis from the controlled human infection model (CHIM) using single-cell RNAseq and spatial transcriptomics.

Outside of the lab, João enjoys both outdoor activities such as long walks, hiking, Yoga and traveling; as well as indoor activities, such as binge-watching a good TV series, playing video games and card-games; always in good company!

Leon is currently pursuing a PhD in Mechanistic Biology funded by the White Rose DTP. His academic journey began with a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Konstanz in Germany. Already during his undergraduate years, he got drawn into the international academic world conducting his bachelor's project in New Zealand. Later, during his master’s program, he got particularly interested in structural biology through an CryoEM-focused internship at the CSSB in Hamburg. Afterwards Leon pursued a one-year Master's project under the guidance of Eva Kowalinski at the EMBL Grenoble in France finding his passion in the world of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and Structural Biology of Trypanosomes. This newfound fascination led him to dub himself a "Structural Trypanosomaniac." Now he is eager to share and deepen his experience in the Faria Lab. Here, he aims to contribute and expand his knowledge in recombinant protein expression and structural biology. His primary focus will be on the structural and functional characterization of VEX2, employing cutting-edge CryoEM and proteomic techniques to unravel its role and regulation within the context of monoallelic VSG expression. Beyond his academic pursuits, Leon is an avid explorer, he finds inner peace in backpacking across the vibrant landscapes of Latin America. His fascination reaches from contemporary and ancient indigenous cultures to the lush biodiversity of jungles and cloud forests, while scaling the heights of the largest volcanoes on the continent. In his day-to-day life during his PhD, Leon is working on his Spanish and cooking skills, reads throught the political and historical landscape of the world and finds joy in activities such as football, volleyball, hiking, and board game evenings.

Following completion of a BSc in Biomedical Science at Newcastle University, and with a keen interest in infection and immunity, Ross undertook post-graduate studies in Immunobiology, obtaining an MRes. He then decided to focus on Microbiology, spending three years training in clinical science, working in diagnostic laboratories and obtaining an MSc in Clinical Microbiology. This interest in infection and microbiology and a desire to undertake more research focused work, led to Ross joining the Faria lab at York University. In his role as Research Technician he is currently studying the parasite Leishmania mexicana, with a focus on the role of nuclear architecture in gene expression regulation.

Outside the lab, Ross is a keen traveller, having recently returned from a 4-month trip through Latin America. He also enjoys music gigs, running and in his spare time is often found browsing bookshops, drinking coffee, or having a drink with friends.