“When I presented my work as a postdoc, I met several leaders in the field who are members of the Cytokine Society. As a “young investigator,” the Cytokine Society has been an integral part of my professional development sharing my passion for cytokines and the science, and for mentoring…”
- Please tell us your name, degree, where you currently work, position
My name is Juan Mendoza and I have a Ph.D. I am an assistant professor at the University of Chicago and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Freeman Hrabowski Scholar. - Where did you do your training?
I received my Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics from UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. - Briefly, what is your research about?
My interest lies in understanding cytokine signaling from the molecular through the organism level. We study and engineer proteins to understand how changes in protein-protein interactions ultimately impact immunity with the hope of providing insights into improving cytokines as therapeutics. - Tell us your thoughts about ICIS: how has being involved in the Cytokine Society help your career?
When I presented my work as a postdoc, I met several leaders in the field who are members of the Cytokine Society. As a “young investigator,” the Cytokine Society has been an integral part of my professional development sharing my passion for cytokines and the science, and for mentoring. - Are there any particular friendships or collaborations that came specifically out of Cytokines meetings?
Two collaborations as a result of attending Cytokine Society meetings have been with Ludmila Prokunina-Olsson (NIH) and Curt Horvath (University at Northwestern). - What Cytokines meeting(s) have been your favorites? Tell us about any special memories or anecdotes.
While I have loved each of the meetings, the most memorable was in Kanazawa, Japan 2017 because that is when I met several of my IFN idols: Ludmila Prokunina-Olsson (NIH), Sergei Kotenko (Rutgers), and Rune Hartmann (Aarhus University). - What do you like to do when not in the lab?
Listen to music and podcasts for my news. - What is the best life/career advice you’ve ever received?
While I was applying for postdoc positions at the end of my graduate training, a friend of mine told me “Take every opportunity to move up, that is hard, it’s easy to move downwards.” For me, it means to aim high and not be afraid of failure. - What book or TV show are you reading/watching right now that you recommend?
Nothing now in particular but I just finished bingeing several Star Wars shows like Asoka, Mandalorian, etc. - What is your favorite cytokine?
Type III IFNs because they are mysterious and I believe they have so much potential as therapeutics.
