Dr. Aleeza C. Gerstein is an Associate Professor at the University of Manitoba (Winnipeg, Canada), where she is cross-appointed in the Departments of Microbiology and Statistics. Following her PhD in Evolutionary Genetics from the University of British Columbia, Dr. Gerstein was a Postdoctoral Fellow at The University of Minnesota and Tel Aviv University. The research in her lab applies ecological and evolutionary principles and computational and statistical methods to understand the factors that influence how and why fungal populations evolve. Her lab also works with clinicians and environmental samples to characterize local isolates to identify when and why different relatedness patterns are observed in different infection contexts and among different human fungal pathogen species.
Dr. Rebecca S. Shapiro is an Associate Professor in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Guelph, with expertise in fungal pathogenesis, functional genomics, and microbial engineering. Dr. Shapiro’s current research develops cutting-edge CRISPR-based tools for functional genomic analysis, with applications to studying virulence and drug resistance in fungal pathogens. Dr. Shapiro is a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Microbial Functional Genomics and Synthetic Biology.
Dr. Iuliana V. Ene is a group leader in the Departments of Mycology and Genomes & Genetics at Institut Pasteur (Paris, France). Previously, Dr. Ene was a Research Assistant Professor at Brown University (USA) following her postdoctoral training. She holds a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Aberdeen (UK). At Institut Pasteur, her team investigates how fungal pathogens evolve antifungal resistance and exploit population heterogeneity to evade treatment. By integrating molecular biology, genomics, transcriptomics, and infection models, her work aims to uncover novel therapeutic strategies against persistent fungal infections. Her research aligns with the Institut Pasteur’s mission to advance global health through innovative infectious disease research.
The three editors are past CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars in the Fungal Kingdom: Threats and Opportunities program.