Ugo Cenci
Associate Professor
Protists, CAZymes, eukaryotic evolution, bioinformatics annotation
A researcher passionate about protists, their physiology, and their evolutionary history, Ugo Cenci defended his thesis in 2013 on starch metabolism in cyanobacteria at the University of Lille, and subsequently completed a postdoctoral fellowship in protist genomics within the ‘Archibald Lab’ at Dalhousie University.
Recruited in 2017 into the microbial genetics team, his research focuses on the evolution of sugar-related metabolisms (CAZymes) in various eukaryotes. By combining annotation and phylogenetic analysis, he examines the links between polysaccharide metabolism, endosymbiosis, and pathogenicity.
His work includes the functional characterization of mutants in exotic organisms, and has led to the formulation of several hypotheses on symbiotic interactions and atypical metabolic mechanisms (particularly in Chlamydia or in starch metabolism).
He also contributes to projects integrating comparative biochemistry and functional genetics.