Ceci was born in Argentina and completed her BS and MS degrees in biology at the Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. During her PhD studies, she moved to the United States to work in isoform-specific roles of PKC signaling in cancer (University of Pennsylvania). For her postdoctoral training she focused on understanding the role of mitochondria in cancer (The Wistar Institute). Ceci is an Associate Professor of Pharmacology at UC-AMC, where her lab aims to understand the role of mitochondrial function for therapeutic gain in lethal cancer. In addition to doing research, Ceci is actively involved in campus activities to enhance mentoring, DEI and wellness. ***See “Phylosophy” tab for details on Ceci’s formal training in mentoring, well being, equity and management.

I received my B.S in Biological Sciences specializing in neuroscience at Rowan University in 2016. During my undergraduate degree I spent time researching how hypoxic transcription factors influenced cellular fitness using S. cerevisiae as a model organism. I joined the Pharmacology program in 2018 where I am now studying how novel mitochondrial signaling pathways contribute to metastatic dissemination of cancer cells.

Funding: NIH NCI-F31 , NIGMS T32 (PHARM)

I received my B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from McMaster University (Canada). I moved to Philadelphia where I pursued my PhD in Physiology focusing on purinergic receptors signaling in neutrophils. I completed 2 postdocs in cell signaling studying protein kinases and G protein coupled receptors in cancer and immune cells (UPenn and CHOP). In the Caino Lab, I am studying the integrated stress response in metastatic cancer.

I received my B.S. in Molecular Biology from the University of Denver in 2016. After completing my undergraduate education, I went straight into industry. I have worked as an Organic Chemist, I held a position as a Microbiologist, and most recently as a Molecular Biologist for a biotech company. After spending more than half a decade in industry I returned to academia in pursuit of a PhD through the Molecular Biology program at CU Anschutz. I joined the Caino Lab in July 2023 to conduct my thesis research.

Funding: NIGMS T32 (MOLB)

A gift from Ceci’s parents when she started the lab, Scooter has since been a charm for grant and fellowship writing. Its Latin name is Pollum defensorius fiscalis, and its common name Scooter was given by the first NIH awardee in the lab (Dillon).