Alumni Interview with Dr. Nathália Batista “Immunology has always fascinated me. Its complexity presents a challenging yet stimulating area of study. Additionally, the direct impact on healthcare and the potential to improve motivates me greatly,” says Dr. Nathália Batista, a scientist at Treadwell Therapeutics. Her passion for science has led her on a journey all around the world, with the goal of gaining new perspectives in science and improving healthcare. I sat down with Nathália to discuss her academic experience, both before and after her time at the University of Toronto, and how her experiences helped her get to her established position today.
Who is Dr. Batista and where has she been?
Nathália has had a truly enriching academic experience as it has allowed her to travel the around the world. After completing her undergraduate studies in biology at the Universidade. Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) in Brazil, she spent a summer at the University of Calgary in Dr. Donna-Marie McCafferty’s laboratory. She then pursued a master’s degree in Cellular Biology at UFMG and spent three months as a visiting fellow at the Université de Rennes in France. Nathália returned to UFMG to study Immunology for her doctoral degree, during which she spent 18 months as a visiting fellow at Humanitas University in Milan, Italy. Nathália expressed that none of her international experiences were planned. Her few months in France were the serendipitous product of attending a seminar by two professors from Rennes who were interested in collaborating. Nathália says that her 3-month French excursion and year-and-a-half stay in Italy “exposed me to different cultures, traditions, and ways of life…broadened my worldview, enhanced my adaptability, and fostered cross-cultural understanding”. Travel provided Nathália access to specialized equipment and resources that weren’t readily available for her at UFMG. It was important to foster collaboration, exchange ideas and access diverse perspectives, allowing her to present research findings at international conferences and seminars.
The Alma Mater Experience
Due to the financial constraints faced by scientists in Brazil, Nathália was certain that she would pursue her postdoctoral studies abroad. A position at UofT in Dr. Tania Watts’s lab was her top choice primarily because of its exceptional research program and its location in a highly multicultural city, which she believed would facilitate her life as an immigrant. In 2017, Nathália moved to Toronto to start her postdoctoral research in Dr. Watts’s lab where she later transitioned to the role of research associate. While working there, she focused on T cell activity and antigen-presenting cell (APC)-T cell interaction in viral infections and cancer. She primarily worked on manipulating signals from members of the tumour necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) superfamily and the TNF family ligands to induce long-lived T cell memory to protect against viral infections. Nathália’s postdoctoral experience was incredibly valuable, allowing for the acquisition of new skills, deepening her expertise in T-cell biology, enhancing her project management and leadership skills, and expanding her professional network. She emphasizes, “Dr. Tania Watts was an exceptional supervisor and mentor. The experience I gained while working with her significantly impacted my future career opportunities. My experience at the Department of Immunology was wonderful as it exposed me to groundbreaking research by esteemed researchers”. 16 IMMpress Vol. 11 No. 3 2024
