In the latest annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology, the director of the Chemical Engineering Department at the UFRO, Dr. Jorge Farías Avendaño, was appointed ambassador of the society for Chile.

Dr. Jorge Farías is a regular member of the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) since 2008 and the director of the Chemical Engineering Department at the Universidad de La Frontera and now assumed the role of ambassador of the ASCB in Chile.

His mission is to strengthen the link between researchers and the North American Society that promotes international research collaboration in the fields of cellular and molecular biology, the training of advanced human capital and the strengthening of policies related to research.

“For the University it is very important to actively participate in these activities because we can show us in an international context and that strengthens our doctoral programs, such as the Doctorate in Science with specialization in Applied Cellular and Molecular Biology and the Doctorate in Natural Resources Science, which both recently achieved international accreditation”, Dr. Jorge Farías stated.

UFRO PIONEER

Until the year 2017, Dr. Jorge Farías was the only UFRO researcher that has been part of this Society. He presented the recent graduate of the Doctorate in Science with specialization in Applied Cellular and Molecular Biology, Elías Figueroa, to the Society, who is now part of the ASCB in the “Young Researcher” category.

Part of the requirements to enter the Society are to develop relevant research and to have publications in this thematic field. The group holds various Nobel Prizes and concentrates the main research centers of North American universities.

The collaborative network and work within this Society also grew since 2017, when it established an alliance with the European version of this society, the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). For this reason, Dr. Farías invites his colleagues at the Universidad de La Frontera to get to know and join this scientific Society.