Meet Lorenzo Leiva Araya, Ph.D., a Grand Challenges Initiative Postdoctoral Fellow at the Schmid College of Science and Technology!

Dr. Leiva Araya earned his BS and MS degrees in Biochemistry and his Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Chile, Santiago, Chile. During his Ph.D. project, Lorenzo became interested in understanding the adaptation of the bacterial translation machinery during stress conditions. Continuing his career, he joined Chapman University in 2021 to work as a postdoctoral fellow with Professor Michael Ibba on the antibiotic stress response. Currently, his research focuses on understanding the role of some molecules synthesized by side reactions of the translation machinery, which play a role in bacterial communication and gene regulation. The goal is to understand how bacteria use these molecules to communicate with each other and coordinate the bacterial response that allows them to tolerate antibiotic treatments.

Q & A with Dr. Lorenzo Leiva Araya

What is your current area of research – and why are you passionate about it?

Most of my research has revolved around the regulation of protein synthesis and bacterial physiology. My current research focuses on bacterial communication systems and how components of the translation machinery contribute to them. This project has a strong impact on the design of new antibacterial molecules and pathogen control, but I am passionate about it because the complexity of bacteria is beautiful.

What is the best advice you’ve received in your science career?

There are three quotes/advice that have been very useful to me in my scientific career: “The perfect is the enemy of the good” (Voltaire), “Even negative results are results,” and the old adage in biochemistry, “Never waste pure thoughts on an impure protein.”

What are you most looking forward to about GCI?

I am very excited to meet the other members of GCI, learn new perspectives and strategies about teaching, and meet the students and their great ideas and motivations, which are always revitalizing.

What would you be doing if you weren’t a scientist?

Musician! I love string instruments and playing them is the ground wire that disconnects my mind from the micro world.

How do you like your coffee?

Dark coffee, ideally accompanied by a cookie.