Dr Paola Resende

Dr Paola Resende is a public health researcher specializing in viral genomics and molecular epidemiology. She leads the Genomic Sequencing and Bioinformatics team at the Laboratory of Respiratory, Exanthematous, Enterovirus, and Viral Emergencies (LVRE) within the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC) at FIOCRUZ, Brazil. Dr Resende holds a doctorate in molecular and cellular biology and a master’s degree in tropical medicine, both from the IOC, and completed postdoctoral research at University College London (UCL). 

Dr Resende’s work has made significant contributions to global public health, particularly during the 2009–2010 H1N1 influenza pandemic and the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2023). Her team produced thousands of SARS-CoV-2 genomes to support Brazil’s pandemic response. She works at the National Reference Center for Influenza and SARS-CoV-2, affiliated with the Brazilian Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO). 

Dr Resende is a member of the scientific committee of the FIOCRUZ Genomic Network, contributing to the surveillance of SARS-CoV-2, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), mumps, and measles. As a permanent professor in the Tropical Medicine graduate program at IOC/FIOCRUZ, she actively mentors emerging public health and genomic research scientists. Her expertise includes high-throughput sequencing, phylogenetics, and evolutionary analysis, with a research focus on molecular surveillance and the comparative evolution of circulating viruses and vaccine antigens.