Dr. Sébastien Ortiz
Credentials: Ph.D.
Position title: Research Associate & Howard Hughes Medical Institute Gilliam Fellow
Email: sortiz2@wisc.edu
B.S. in Chemistry at the University of Virginia
Research focused on the characterization of the molecular mechanisms controlling Cryptococcus spore germination. This work involved the development of an automated Cryptococcus spore germination assay that has enabled the extensive characterization of this key differentiation process necessary for spore-mediated disease, the identification and characterization of ~200 novel inhibitors of spore germination, the identification of novel fungal-specific targets, and the development Cryptococcus as a model for studying fungal spore germination.