Rate My Professor Paulina Maldonado

Paulina Maldonado-Ruiz is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Entomology at The University of Arizona, having joined the faculty in January 2024. She earned her Ph.D. in Entomology from Kansas State University in 2021, a Master’s degree in Health Sciences from Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo in Mexico in 2015, and a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Pharmacology with a minor in Microbiology from the same university in 2010. Prior to her current position, she served as a postdoctoral research associate at Kansas State University, where her doctoral research focused on tick osmoregulatory mechanisms, microbiome characterization, and alternative tick control methods.

Her research in medical entomology centers on tick molecular biology, microbiome, and physiology to devise strategies for reducing tick bites and mitigating tick-borne diseases, including Lyme disease and alpha-gal syndrome. She investigates molecular determinants in tick saliva associated with alpha-gal syndrome, variations in alpha-gal levels in tick salivary glands, and the tick microbiome's role in vector competence for potential biocontrol applications. Notable publications include “The bacterial community of the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum)” (Parasites & Vectors, 2021), “Water absorption through salivary gland type I acini in the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis” (PeerJ, 2017), “Liquid water intake of the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum: Implications for tick survival and management” (Scientific Reports, 2020), “Tick intrastadial feeding and its role on IgE production in the murine model of alpha-gal syndrome: the tick ‘transmission’ hypothesis” (Frontiers in Immunology, 2022), and “Differential Tick Salivary Protein Profiles and Human Immune Responses to Lone Star Ticks (Amblyomma americanum) From the Wild vs. a Laboratory Colony” (Frontiers in Immunology, 2019). In 2023, she was selected for the Entomological Society of America’s Early Career Professional Recognition Symposium for her work on tick bites and alpha-gal syndrome. Maldonado-Ruiz promotes a multidisciplinary approach integrating vector physiology, microbiology, and molecular biology.