Cintia Sagawa

Role: YPA Chair

Biography: Cintia is a Postdoctoral Associate in Prof. Vivian Irish’s lab in the Department of Molecular, Celular, and Developmental Biology at Yale University. Her current project focuses on developing gene-edited citrus plants (sweet oranges) tolerant of bacterial diseases. Cintia has a B.Sc. and B.A. in Biological Sciences from Sao Paulo State University (UNESP) in Brazil, where she also received her Master’s degree in Genetics with a focus on plant breeding. Cintia completed her Ph.D. in Plant Biology with a designated emphasis in Biotechnology at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis). During her Ph.D., she worked in Prof. Abhaya Dandekar’s lab in the Department of Plant Sciences studying plant-pathogen interactions in fruit trees by analyzing proteomic responses during disease infections. She is passionate about the development of biotechnological tools to create more sustainable agriculture. In the past years, Cintia has also gained professional experience working for a governmental research institute and a biotech company. In her free time, she enjoys wine tasting, hiking, and outdoor activities. 

Contact: c.sagawa@yale.edu