The Center for Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (CMCB) is hosting a series of 10 seminars with top university scientists, sponsored by Mississippi IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE), Our third seminar in the series will feature Dr. Julián Hillyer via Zoom.

Dr. Hillyer’s research focuses on basic aspects of mosquito immunology and physiology, focusing on the mechanical and molecular bases of hemolymph (blood) propulsion and the immunological interaction between mosquitoes and pathogens in the hemocoel (body cavity). A goal of this research is to discover endogenous pathways that could be manipulated to disrupt the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria. His seminar is titled, Not So Heartless: Functional Integration of the Immune and Circulatory Systems of Mosquitoes.

He is currently the Director of the Program in Career Development and an Associate Professor of Biological Science at Vanderbilt University.