Paula Ordonez Suarez

Paula is research scientist in the field of virology with focus on retrovirus-host interactions, antivirals, anticancer therapy, and drug development. Paula obtained her BSc and MSc from Universidad del Valle in Colombia, working on the production of HIV-1 and HTLV-1 proteins for use in diagnostics and on screenings for integrase inhibitors. She received her PhD from Kagoshima University, Japan, where she studied the molecular epidemiology and antiviral therapy for Epstein-Barr virus associated with gastric carcinoma. Postdoctoral training in Japan included the evaluation of novel anti-HIV-1 drugs and the study of host factors involved in HIV-1 latency. Her current projects include the screening for inhibitors of the HIV-restriction factor and anticancer drug response biomarker SAMHD1, and how the HIV-1 protein Vpr affects PBMC subsets by mass cytometry. In 2020, Paula joined the Crick-COVID-19 Consortium as part of the virus inactivation team. Her interests include teaching in higher education, science funding and policy, scientific collaborations, international relations, public engagement and outreach.