Fatima Ferreira

Education

Born in Cachoeira de Goiás in central Brazil, in 1977 Ferreira completed her schooling in Uberlândia. She studied dentistry at the Federal University of Uberlândia, graduating in 1981.

Career

Since 2010, she has been Professor of Molecular Biology at the University of Salzburg, Austria, where, since October 2011, she has also been Vice-Rector for Research with responsibility for the Faculty of Natural Sciences. After earning a doctorate in biochemical sciences at the University of São Paulo in 1987, she worked as a research assistant at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (1988), the University of Toronto (1990) and the University of Vienna (1992). In 1992, Ferreira was appointed assistant professor at the Institute of Genetics and General Biology at the University of Salzburg.

While serving there, she received a master"s degree from the University of Vienna for her thesis Molecular basis of immunoglobulin East recognition of Bet v 1, the major allergen of birch pollen.

After becoming associate professor at Salzburg University"s Molecular Biology Department, she became full professor in 2010. In October 2011, she received the post of Vice-Rector for Research while heading the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Allergy Diagnosis and Therapy.

The focus of Ferreira"s research is the molecular and immunological characterization of pollen allergens, especially of birch, ragweed, mugwort, Japanese cedar and cypress, their interaction with the immune system and the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, including protein-based vaccines for allergic diseases.

Achievements

• In 2008, Ferreira received the Scientist of the Year award from the Austrian Club of Education and Science Journalists. In connection with the award, she was invited to Washington District of Columbia where she gave a lecture on allergies.