Cristina is originally from Barcelona, Spain. She graduated from the Autonomous University of Barcelona with a bachelor’s degree in Biology and completed during this time, several internships in Germany. After receiving her master’s degree in Microbiology at the University of Barcelona, Cristina worked as a R&D scientist at the pharmaceutical company  B.Braun developing antibacterial medical devices.

In 2013, Cristina moved to the University of Rochester (New York) where she joined the group of Dr. Jose Lemos to begin her dissertation work on the pathophysiology of Enterococcus faecalis. After transferring to the University of Florida (Florida), she continued her work under the mentorship of Dr. Lemos. Her PhD work investigated the role of the global stress response regulator (p)ppGpp and of manganese transport to the systemic virulence of E. faecalis. In 2016 she received an American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship for her work.

After successfully completing her doctoral degree in 2018, Cristina moved back to Barcelona and worked as a QA Scientist for the pharmaceutical company Boehringer-Ingelheim. In 2022, she joined the Kline lab at the University of Geneva to work on enterococcal adaptation to the host environment during infection. When not in the lab, you will most likely find Cristina enjoying her time off, be it at the gym, in a restaurant, on a mountain, or traveling around the world.