Claudia Barros Monteiro Vitorello holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from Universidade Estadual de Londrina and a Master’s and PhD in Agronomy (Plant Genetics and Breeding) from the Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz” (ESALQ/USP), with part of her doctoral research conducted at Michigan State University (USA). She completed her postdoctoral training at the Department of Microbiology at Michigan State University. Currently, she is an Associate Professor in the Department of Genetics at ESALQ-USP. Her research focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying plant-pathogen interactions, with emphasis on sugarcane pathosystems. She has experience in Genetics, with specialization in Molecular and Microbial Genetics. Her main research areas include: (1) Molecular analysis of plant-pathogen interactions; (2) Genomics of plant-associated microorganisms; (3) Evolution and genomic diversity of microorganisms; and (4) Horizontal gene transfer and transposable element analysis.