Bachelor’s degree in biology from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and a Ph.D. in genetics from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). After a postdoctoral fellowship in microbiology and immunology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), he joined the Department of Genetics, Ecology, and Evolution faculty at UFMG. His research focuses on various viruses, including HIV, HCV, SIV, Dengue, Chikungunya, Oropouche, Zika, Yellow Fever, and Covid-19.