Krist Antunes has a Master’s and a PhD from PUCRS
Photo: C. Todd Reichart
The Pew Latin American Fellowship is a program for the development of Latin-American
scientists in the early stages of their careers who are carrying out research in biomedicine and in health sciences in the United States. In addition to promoting high-impact research, the initiative aims to create a network of highly qualified scientists who can contribute to public health in Latin America.
The Master’s and PhD holder through the Graduate Program (PPG) in Pediatrics and Child
Health, Krist Antunes, was one of the 10 people selected for the 2024 edition. Currently, she is continuing to develop at Princeton University the research she began at PUCRS. The
American university is globally renowned for its academic quality, in addition to being one of the oldest in the country, founded in 1747.
In the North-American University’s Lab of Infant and Maternal Immunity, the researcher
investigates how the eradication of the contamination by parasites promoted the increase in asthma and respiratory infections. “Our immune system evolved in the presence of various microbes. However, urban life,sanitation, antibiotics and deworming treatments significantly changed microbial exposure in humans during the different stages of life. This change in the exposure to infectious entities altered the way our immune system works, potentially leading to inflammation and autoimmunity,” Kirst explains.
In addition to the prestige of being selected in one of the most important programs for scientific development, the program, which lasts for two years, offers financial support to the researcher and their research project, high-impact training, a unique contact network of graduates and scientists, in addition to resources to return to the home country after concluding the program.
At the end of her participation, the researcher plans on returning to her homeland. “I believe that, acquiring the experience needed in the North-American scientific setting, I will be able to significantly contribute to scientific progress in Brazil,” explains the PUCRS alumni.
Krist says that, upon returning to Brazil, she will continue to create initiatives that impact pulmonary well-being in her own structure. “At the end of this fellowship, I will receive U$70,000 in financial incentive to coverthe costsrelated to the implementation of my laboratory in Brazil. These initial resources will be crucial to boost my independent career, which, in the future, will contribute to the production of innovative solutions with far-reaching effect in respiratory health in Brazil,” she says.
For the researcher, during her Master’s and Doctorate programs, PUCRS’s extensive and challenging curriculum encouraged her critical thinking and helped her develop her problemsolving skills, crucial characteristics of a good scientist. “I joined PUCRS when I was still an undergraduate researcher, in the Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, coordinated by professor Ana Paula Duarte de Souza, where I remained during my Master’s and Doctorate. There, I was involved in various projects, which enhanced my research skills, including experimental design, data analysis and scientific writing — skills that have been invaluable in my post-doctoral research,” says Krist.
