Rate My Professor Fátima Jorge

Fátima Jorge serves as an Electron Microscopy Technician at Otago Micro and Nanoscale Imaging (OMNI), a facility within the Division of Sciences at the University of Otago. In this role, she supports university researchers by providing expertise in electron microscopy techniques, contributing to diverse scientific investigations including structural analyses in biological and materials sciences. Previously, from 2016 to 2021, she was a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Zoology's Evolutionary and Ecological Parasitology group, where she conducted advanced studies on parasite biology and host-parasite interactions.

Jorge holds a PhD from the University of Porto, Portugal, earned through research at CIBIO-InBIO, focusing on the ecological and evolutionary aspects of host-parasite associations, coevolutionary patterns of parasite diversification, and macroevolutionary dynamics influencing parasite species rates. Her postdoctoral work expanded on these themes, particularly investigating parasite microbiomes—their diversity, persistence across life stages, and influence on parasite development, manipulation of host phenotypes, and colony structures in social trematodes. Notable publications include 'Persistence of a Core Microbiome Through the Ontogeny of a Parasitic Worm' (Frontiers in Microbiology, 2020, 54 citations), 'Association between parasite microbiomes and caste development and colony structure in a social trematode' (Molecular Ecology, 2022), 'Inter-individual variation in parasite manipulation of host phenotype: A role for parasite microbiomes?' (Journal of Animal Ecology, 2023), 'Consistency of Bacterial Communities in a Parasitic Worm: Variation Throughout the Life Cycle and Across Geographic Space' (Frontiers in Microbiology, 2022), and 'MIxS-SA: a MIxS extension defining the minimum information standard for sequence data reporting in studies on macroparasites and their hosts' (Microbiome, 2022). With 55 publications and over 978 citations, her research has advanced understanding of parasite ecology and microbiome roles in parasitism. She has also co-authored on topics like large-scale disease patterns driven by climatic seasonality and host traits, and methodological standards for parasitological research.