MEET THE CREW
Dinglasan Lab Team
Dr. Rhoel Dinglasan
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Dr. Dinglasan is a professor at the University of Florida, Associate Chair of Research in Department of Infectious Diseases & Immunology and the Director, CDC Southeastern Center of Excellence for Vector Borne Diseases
Luis A. Alonso-Palomares
ADJUNCT RESEARCH ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
Luis A. Alonso Palomares, hails from Mexico. He is a biologist by profession, and completed his master’s and PhD degrees in immunology. His virologist soul is interested in public health, particularly in the arbovirus field. He investigates virus-vector relationships, from researching comparative immunology, molecular mechanisms, to completing surveillance and developing vaccines. He likes to exercise outdoors, play volleyball, go to the movies, and spend time outside with a good beer.
Bright Agbodzi
PHD STUDENT
Bright Agbodzi hails from Ghana, where he earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Molecular Biology. He is currently a PhD student at the UF Genetics Institute, with a keen interest in applying omics to understand host-virus interactions and the molecular evolution of viruses. In his free time, he enjoys watching and playing soccer
Sebastian Duran
POSTDOCTORAL ASSOCIATE
Scientific Intervention and Evaluation Coordinator for the Southeastern Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases (SECVBD). He earned his PhD in Population Biology, Ecology, and Evolution from Emory University as a Fulbright Fellow. He studied the ecological interactions between Wolbachia pipientis (wAlbB strain) and Aedes aegypti in the Prokopec Laboratory. His research has also focused on mosquito and malaria vector ecology in Colombia and Florida, including studies of the Anopheles albitarsis and An. crucians species complexes. His experience also includes research on vector control interventions, medical entomology, and environmental sciences. He enjoys kayaking the Florida springs, biking, skateboarding, science fiction, cooking Colombian food, and challenging video games.
Sofia Toledo
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Sofia Toledo is an undergrad from south Florida pursuing dual bachelor’s degrees in Microbiology and English. Afterwards, she plans to pursue graduate school in immunoengineering or biomolecular/materials engineering. Outside of lab, she is involved in the GRiP prosthetics club, Model United Nations, and Tea Lit Mag. In her free time she likes to play card games, watch movies, bake, and go to the springs with friends.
Grace Lloyd
PHD STUDENT
Grace Lloyd grew up along the coast of Indonesia, where she developed an interest in malaria and other vector-borne diseases. She graduated from Baylor University with her B.S. In biology and a research focus in host-pathogen interactions and invasive mosquito species. She is currently a PhD student in the UF Biomedical Sciences program with a concentration in Immunology and Microbiology, and she is working on developing a nanoparticle single dose delivery method for a mosquito-based malaria transmission blocking vaccine candidate (the AnAPN1 TBV). In her free time she enjoys running outside and spending time with her family’s golden retrievers.
Jonas Kengne Ouafo
POSTDOCTORAL ASSOCIATE
Jonas is a Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Florida, focusing on the biology of disease-causing agents, particularly malaria, and their vectors, with an emphasis on disease transmission and insecticide resistance. His primary objective is to identify biomarkers that can inform the development of improved disease control interventions. He recently used genomics (PoolSeq) to identify loci associated with pyrethroid resistance in Anopheles gambiae (a major malaria vector).
Jonas earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Cell Biology of Infectious Diseases from the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), University of Ghana.
Giovanna Figueredo
LAB MANAGER
Giovanna is the incoming lab manager for the Dinglasan Lab. She was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil until she moved to Florida in 2020. She attained her B.S. in Entomology from the University of Florida in 2025, where she explored varied research topics such as the insect microbiome and its effects on behavior, sexual evolution, and insect biomechanics. During her time in the Burgess lab at UF, she developed a deep interest in insect toxicology and disease transmission cycles. This inspired her desire to pursue a PhD in medical entomology in the future. In her free time she enjoys roller-skating down Hawthorne trail, reading fiction books, and solving puzzles
Hallie Knight
PHD STUDENT
Contact Us
Learn more about the research in the Dinglasan Laboratory.
Latest News
STAY UP TO DATE WITH OUR LATEST NEWS. LEARN ABOUT NEW DEVELOPMENTS, TREATMENTS, VACCINES, OUR LAB & MUCH MORE!
UF Malaria Researcher and Global Partners Win NIH Award for New International Center of Excellence
- Posted OnApril 24, 2024
- By epiadmin
The cooperative agreement, from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will establish a new International Center of Excellence in Malaria Research (ICEMR) focused
Read More
UF Professor of Infectious Diseases, Dr. Rhoel Dinglasan, discusses the new saliva COVID tests
- Posted OnAugust 20, 2021
- By epiadmin
Watch WCJB TV20 video here.
Read More
First in human clinical trials of the AnAPN1 malaria transmission-blocking vaccine
- Posted OnMarch 31, 2021
- By epiadmin
Former director of the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative, Christian Loucq, M.D., says it is exciting to see Dinglasan’s concept moving toward a clinical trial. “There
Read More