Welcome to Our New Department of Biology Faculty Members!

Iuliana Ene, Ph.D.
Title: Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Antifungal drug responses, genome plasticity, phenotypic heterogeneity, antifungal drug discovery
Dr. Iuliana Ene joins the Department of Biology as an Assistant Professor. Her research explores how fungal pathogens adapt to the human host and antifungal treatment. Her laboratory studies genetic and phenotypic diversity within fungal populations, including how genome plasticity and communication between fungal cells shape drug tolerance, resistance, and host adaptation. Ultimately, her work aims to identify vulnerabilities that could guide the development of improved antifungal therapies.
Prior to joining Georgetown, Dr. Ene led the Fungal Heterogeneity Group at the Institut Pasteur in Paris. She previously held a research faculty position at Brown University and was named a CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar. She earned her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Aberdeen, as well as undergraduate degrees in Biochemistry and Psychology from Brown University.

Ana I. Leal Cervantes, Ph.D.
Title: Assistant Teaching Professor
Research Interests: Stem cell biology, cancer, science communication, science education
Dr. Ana Leal Cervantes joins the department as an Assistant Teaching Professor. Her research interests focus on understanding how cells access the information encoded in their DNA and how this influences the balance between tissue regeneration and cancer. Her doctoral work investigated transcriptional regulation in stem cells, while her postdoctoral research centered on splicing dysregulation in leukemia. In addition to her research, Dr. Leal Cervantes is deeply passionate about science communication and innovative science education. Dr. Leal Cervantes earned her Ph.D. in Stem Cell Biology from the University of Cambridge.

Please join us in giving a warm Georgetown welcome to Dr. Ene and Dr. Leal Cervantes!