Filipa Rijo-Ferreira in her office

Research Bio

Filipa Rijo-Ferreira is an Assistant Professor of Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology at Berkeley Public Health and in the Molecular and Cell Biology Department. Her work addresses how daily rhythms of hosts, vectors and parasites define the outcome of parasitic diseases such as malaria and sleeping sickness. The Rijo-Ferreira Lab combines molecular parasitology, mosquito and mammalian physiology and neuroscience to ask questions about the role of circadian rhythms in parasitic diseases pathogenesis and transmission. Circadian rhythms provide an advantage to organisms from bacteria to humans, thus a deeper understanding of the daily biology of parasites will enable design of effective interventions.

Filipa Rijo-Ferreira is a Chan Zuckerberg BioHub Investigator and a Searle Scholar, and has received both a NIH Path to Independence Award and a NIH Directors' New Innovator Award. 

Research Expertise and Interest

molecular parasitology, mosquito vector biology in malaria infection, host-parasite interactions, host circadian rhythms, immunology, metabolism

In the News

Teaching

Courses taught during the three most recent terms
2026 Spring
  • Supervised Independent Study and Research  [MCELLBI 199]  

  • Research Review in Immunology and Pathogenesis: Circadian rhythms in Parasitic Diseases  [MCELLBI 259O]  

  • Research  [MCELLBI 292]  

  • Supervised Independent Study  [MCELLBI 99]  

  • Honors Research  [MCELLBI H196B]  

  • Independent Research  [PBHLTH 299]  

  • Independent Research  [PBHLTH 299]  

  • Independent Research  [PBHLTH 299]  

  • Supervised Research: Biological Sciences  [UGIS 192C]  

2025 Fall
  • Supervised Independent Study and Research  [MCELLBI 199]  

  • Research Review in Immunology and Pathogenesis: Circadian rhythms in Parasitic Diseases  [MCELLBI 259O]  

  • Research  [MCELLBI 292]  

  • Supervised Independent Study  [MCELLBI 99]  

  • Honors Research  [MCELLBI H196A]  

  • Principles of Infectious Diseases  [PBHLTH 260A]  

  • Doctoral Seminar  [PBHLTH 293]  

  • Doctoral Seminar  [PBHLTH 293]  

  • Independent Research  [PBHLTH 299]  

  • Supervised Research: Biological Sciences  [UGIS 192C]  

2025 Spring
  • Research Review in Immunology and Pathogenesis: Circadian rhythms in Parasitic Diseases  [MCELLBI 259O]  

  • Research  [MCELLBI 292]  

  • Supervised Independent Study  [MCELLBI 99]  

  • Independent Research  [PBHLTH 299]  

  • Independent Research  [PBHLTH 299]  

  • Supervised Research: Biological Sciences  [UGIS 192C]