Francisco J. Carrillo-Salinas, PhD

Background

Carrillo-Salinas completed his bachelor’s in biology, and MSc and PhD in neuroscience at the Universidad Autónoma Madrid, Spain. He recipient of an American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowship for 2019-2020 and participated in the 2022 ASIP Leadership Academy. Dr. Carrillo-Salinas has also served as a moderator for the ASIP Young Investigator Seminar Series and organized a session at the 2022 ASIP Annual Meeting at Experimental Biology.

Currently, Dr. Carrillo-Salinas is a member of Marta Rodriguez-Garcia’s laboratory at Tufts University. The focus of the lab is on deciphering neutrophil function in the female genital tract and in mucosal HIV acquisition.

His ultimate goal is to become an independent neuroimmunology research scientist, while contributing significantly to the novel understanding of mechanisms underlying chronic inflammation in the brain, especially during chronic viral infections.

Q&A

What is your favorite part about being a member of the ASIP?

As an international researcher, one of my fears when I came to the U.S. (which I am probably not along in) was being accepted by people in the field and also interacting during conferences. In my modest opinion, being a member of the ASIP has been one of the things that has most positively impacted my scientific career. Starting from the friendly community at all levels—from full professors to undergraduate students—to the incredible support via travel awards, mentoring, and opportunities for career development. In addition, the possibility of contributing to advance my research field and mentoring young researchers in the Society, is very fulfilling.

Where is the next place on your travel bucket list?

As a huge Star Wars fan, I have a pending a visit to Disneyworld that had been postponed due to the COVID pandemic, so I’m looking forward to acquiring my own lightsaber. Most likely I’ll enjoy the experience more than my kid.

Who is someone who's made a big impact on your life?

I’d say that my three lab supervisors, either PhD or postdoctoral supervisors. All of them are smart and amazing women, leaders in their respective fields, and provided the best mentorship. Thanks to them, I also realize the incredible gender gap in science at all levels—and how they recovered from each punch really gives a meaning to the word resilience. I want to help fight this inequality by improving others’ experiences, by advocating for effective and transformative action through ASIP Women in Pathology.