For over 25 years, Álvaro Acosta-Serrano has worked on various aspects of kinetoplastid parasites and their insect vectors, ranging from basic biology to disease control, with a focus on neglected vector-borne diseases and malaria. Originally from Venezuela, he earned his PhD in Molecular Parasitology from the Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil, under the supervision of Sérgio Schenkman and Michael Ferguson (Scotland). He completed postdoctoral training at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Paul Englund’s lab, followed by a Wellcome Trust Research Fellowship at the University of Dundee and the University of Glasgow.
In 2008, he joined the Department of Vector Biology at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, where he became a Reader in Vector Biology. In 2023, he joined the University of Notre Dame, USA, as a Full Professor of Biology. Álvaro was awarded the 2022 CA Wright Medal from the British Society for Parasitology for his contributions to parasitology and vector biology. He serves as an academic editor for several journals and is actively involved in mentoring and teaching parasitology and vector biology in the UK and internationally, including at the Biology of Parasitism course at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, USA. In his spare time, Álvaro enjoys cooking and playing drums.
