Her Story
About Erika
I started in Veterinary Medicine in 2007 after falling in love with cows despite not coming from an agricultural background. During vet school in Brazil, I participated in a dairy consulting program that trained me to consult on farms. This led to an externship at University of Florida, sparking my interest in microbiome research. I pursued my PhD at Cornell studying the milk microbiome and mastitis, then a postdoc, before joining Penn State in 2019. My work integrates veterinary medicine with microbiome science across multiple species and international collaborations.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Erika
01What do you attribute your success to?
My success comes from a combination of hard work and luck, meeting the right people and being in the right places at the right time. Getting out of my comfort zone, challenging myself, and the fake it until you make it approach have also been key. Resilience is essential as 99.9% of the time things are challenging.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Find your people and your mentors. Your future depends on many things, but mostly on you. Really take ownership instead of just waiting for things to happen to you.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Be resilient, be assertive. Find the right mentors to help you through your path. Know your stuff and really put in the work. Don't be afraid of saying that you don't know something and go and learn it.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest opportunities are understanding the role microbes play in our health to combat diseases, keep people healthier, and make food production more sustainable. Challenges include facing rejection 90-95% of the time, imposter syndrome especially as a young female immigrant in a male-dominated field, and staying current with rapidly evolving technologies.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
People are people first, and scientists second. Communication is really important. Having fun and enjoying what you do is really important. Every milestone should be celebrated because this is a hard field to be in.
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