Biography

Sophia studied at the Israeli Institute of Technology (Technion), completing her PhD degree in 2003. In 2010 Sophia immigrated to Australia and joined Westmead Institute as a research fellow to work with A/Prof. Julianne Djordjevic, changing research field from filamentous plant pathogens to medically important pathogenic yeasts. Since 2010, Sophia has been studying virulence-related signal transduction in a human fungal pathogen, Cryptococcus neoformans. Throughout her career, Sophia maintained keen interest in different aspects of signal transduction. She conducted research in several model systems, including plant pathogenic fungi and human embryonic stem cells. The common denominator in all her projects is the attempt to understand molecular interactions which define how cells respond to a changing environment.

Research Focus

Sophia’s main focus is virulence-related signal transduction in the medically important fungal pathogen, Cryptococcus neoformans.

Other Affiliations

Sydney Medical School > Westmead Clinical School > Westmead Clinical School

Awards and Recognition

  • 2015, Westmead Institute Science prize shared with A/Prof. J. Djordjevic
  • 2014, best poster presentation prize at the Westmead Association Research Symposium. 
  • 2013, best oral presentation prize at the Westmead Association Research Symposium. 

 

Education

  • 2003, Ph. D., Department of Biology, Technion, Haifa, Israel.
  • 1999, M.Sc., Department of Biology, Technion, Haifa, Israel.
  • 1995, B.A., Department of Biology, Technion, Haifa, Israel.