Maria Luiza Petzl-Erler
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Maria Luiza Petzl-Erler | |
|---|---|
| Known for | Genetics, molecular biology, immunology |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR) Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München |
| Academic work | |
| Main interests | Evolutionary origins and functional implications of human genetic diversity |
Maria Luiza Petzl-Erler is a researcher and an academic. She is a senior professor in the Department of Genetics at the Federal University of Paraná.[1]
Petzl-Erler's research on human genetic diversity is focused on population genetics, microevolution, and complex diseases. She is most known for her work in the field of pemphigus genetics and immunogenetics. She collaborated with other scientists to investigate the arrival and migration of humans on the American continent during pre-historic times and participated in pharmacogenetic studies.[1]
In 1971, she enrolled in the Biology program at UFPR. By 1972, she began participating in Newton Freire-Maia's research group. Throughout her undergraduate studies, she became involved in research on congenital malformations. She completed her bachelor's degree in 1974 and entered the Master's program in Genetics at UFPR in 1975, under the mentorship of Eleidi Chautard Freire-Maia. After obtaining her M.Sc. in 1977, she pursued her doctorate at LMU Munich, Germany. There, she was supervised by Ekkehard D. Albert and Hartwig Cleve, earning her Dr. rer. nat. in Anthropology and Human Genetics. In 1984, she became a researcher and collaborating professor in the Postgraduate Program in Genetics at the Genetics Department of UFPR. Furthermore, she conducted postdoctoral research at LMU in Munich and Stanford University in the USA in 1987 and 1989, respectively.[2]
Career
Petzl-Erler joined the Federal University of Paraná in 1985, where she has been involved in teaching and research. In 1988, she established the Laboratory of Human Molecular Genetics at the UFPR, starting a research group in Paraná State employing direct DNA analysis in human genetics and leading it until 2018. In 1991, she was integrated into the academic faculty of the UFPR. Moreover, she is a level I research fellow at the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and holds a Senior Professor position in the Graduated Program of Genetics at the UFPR.[1]