Víctor R. Vázquez Marrero

Víctor R. Vázquez Marrero (he/him) is a postdoctoral scholar in Denise Monack’s lab in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. A first-generation college graduate, Víctor earned his BS in Cellular and Molecular Biology at the University of Puerto Rico – Río Piedras and his PhD in Immunology at the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied immune cell responses to the bacterial lung pathogen Legionella pneumophila. His postdoctoral work examines how environmental factors, such as diet, shape bacterial infection. Beyond research, Víctor is devoted to making a positive impact in academia and society: he has mentored students in the lab and through Científico Latino and Out in STEM, led outreach with Upward Bound and Skype a Scientist, and served as professional development chair for SACNAS and communications co-chair for Penn’s INSPIRE network. Outside the lab, he enjoys sports (volleyball, ping pong, tennis), sewing, fashion, cooking, board and video games, and dancing.