About
Daniela received her Engineering degree in Biotechnology from the Department of Life Sciences at the Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE in Ecuador. She later completed her Master’s in Biotechnology at the Department of Molecular Biosciences at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in Spain. In 2022, she earned her PhD in Plant Pathology from the University of Florida.
Daniela gained expertise in molecular biology, genetics, immunology, plant tissue culture, and microbiology while working as a laboratory analyst at the Institute for Research in Public Health in Quito, Ecuador. Daniela worked as a genetic resources’ specialist at the Universidad Regional Amazónica in Tena, Ecuador, where she focused on the conservation of Ecuadorian amphibians and the sustainable use of their genetic resources.
Since September 2023, she has been a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Florida, working with Dr. Liliana Cano on genomics and transcriptomics during host-pathogen interactions.
-
Education
December 2022: PhD in Plant Pathology - University of Florida.
July 2017: Master’s in Biotechnology - Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain.
June 2013: Engineer in Biotechnology – Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas-ESPE, Ecuador. -
Research
Daniela's research focused on analyzing the genomes of various plant pathogens and analyzing the functional roles of virulence factors in plant-pathogen interactions. She identifies and characterizes pathogen effector proteins to improve pathogen detection tools and disease management strategies.
Her research interests extend to exploring the genetic diversity and epidemiology of fungal diseases, as well as delving into the biology and genetics of plant-pathogen interactions. -
Publications
• Daniela E. Cárdenas, Sushma Sood, Martha A. Hincapie, Jose Tapia, Jianping Wang, Philippe C. Rott, Liliana M. Cano. A Diagnostic Guide for Orange Rust Disease of Sugarcane. Plant Health Progress. Accepted first look. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHP-02-24-0013-DG.
• Jiuxu Zhang, Jiaqi Yan, Jihne Bai, Cuifeng Hu, Tengfei Pan, Yisel J. Carrillo, Daniela E. Cardenas, Lilian M. Cano, and Mark A. Ritenour. Lasiodiplodia pseudotheobromae causing Postharvest Decay of Strawberries in Florida. Plant Health Progress. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-07-23-1376-PDN.
• Fontecha-Barriuso, M., Martín-Sanchez, D., Martinez-Moreno, J. M., Cárdenas-Villacrés, D., Carrasco, S., Sanchez-Niño, M. D., et al. (2020). Molecular pathways driving omeprazole nephrotoxicity. Redox Biology 32, 101464. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.redox.2020.101464.