Rate My Professor Salvador Almagro-Moreno

Salvador Almagro-Moreno, Ph.D., serves as Associate Professor of Medicine in the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Central Florida's College of Medicine. He joined UCF in 2017, where he established his laboratory dedicated to investigating the emergence and evolution of bacterial pathogens. A prominent researcher in Biology, Almagro-Moreno's work centers on understanding the molecular mechanisms, genetic traits, and environmental drivers that transform harmless bacteria into lethal pathogens. He employs Vibrio vulnificus, responsible for flesh-eating infections prevalent along Florida's eastern coast, and Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of cholera, as key model organisms. His interdisciplinary approach integrates ecology, computational biology, molecular genetics, and field studies conducted in locations such as India's coastal regions and Florida's Indian River Lagoon. In the latter, his team identified Vibrio floridensis, a novel species and the closest non-pathogenic relative to V. vulnificus. This research constructs predictive maps of pathogen evolution, essential for forecasting outbreaks and developing targeted interventions against diseases like cholera and septicemia.

Almagro-Moreno earned his BS in Biology from Universidad de Granada in Spain, MS in Biotechnology, and PhD in Microbiology from National University of Ireland, University College Cork. He conducted postdoctoral research as the Ernest Everett Just Postdoctoral Fellow at Dartmouth College's Geisel School of Medicine from 2010 to 2016. At UCF, he is a member of the National Center for Integrated Coastal Research, Genomics and Bioinformatics Cluster, and Sustainable Coastal Systems Cluster. His contributions have earned prestigious accolades, including the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease award in 2022—the first for UCF—providing $500,000 over five years; UCF Reach for the Stars Award and Excellence in Research Award in 2022; National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2021; Ramon y Cajal Award from the Government of Spain in 2021; and Scialog Fellow designation. He has authored over 30 peer-reviewed publications, predominantly as first or senior author, in high-impact journals such as Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Nature Microbiology, Trends in Microbiology, and mBio. Notable works include 'Molecular mechanisms and drivers of pathogen emergence' (Trends in Microbiology, 2022), 'Ecological diversification reveals routes of pathogen emergence in Vibrio vulnificus' (PNAS, 2021), and the book Vibrio spp. Infections (2023). His laboratory has secured more than $1.2 million in funding from the NSF, NIH, and Binational Science Foundation. Almagro-Moreno provides expert consultation to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Vibrio vulnificus risks, significantly influencing public health strategies and advancing the field of infectious disease prediction.