Diorge Souza
I am a structural biochemist and evolutionary microbiologist with a passion for exploring archaeal processes through both structural and evolutionary lenses. My work focuses on understanding key biological pathways, such as the cytoskeleton, translation, and RNA modification. To pursue these goals, I am currently part of Alex Bisson’s group at Brandeis University and Joey Davis’ lab in the Department of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
I completed my undergraduate studies in Biology at the University of Brasilia (UnB) in my hometown and capital of Brazil, Brasilia, focusing on protein engineering and antibody humanization. I then pursued my PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Sao Paulo (USP), Brazil, where I identified the first conjugation-like machinery (T4SS) capable of targeting toxins to eliminate microbial competitors. During my postdoctoral work at University College London (UCL) - UK, I discovered that the membrane-remodeling ESCRT-III superfamily is widespread across the tree of life. Before joining Brandeis and MIT, I completed a postdoc at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) - UK, where I demonstrated that the vast diversity of eukaryotic ESCRT-III proteins exhibits two fundamental behaviors during membrane remodeling.
Outside the lab, I enjoy traveling, hiking, sightseeing, watching movies, and following the “original” football (known as soccer here; though I have nothing against the American version!).
diorge [at] brandeis [dot] edu