Javier Muñoz Briones received his bachelor’s degree in biotechnology engineering from Armed Forces University, Ecuador, in 2012. He is a current PhD candidate in Purdue’s Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, where his research consists of developing biomarkers of inflammation for disease progression and drug response for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBS). He has designed and implemented experimental and computational workflows to study complex interactions between host genetics, immunologic pathways, and microbiome dysbiosis that drive IBS and colorectal cancer. Future research will focus on germ-free gut in vitro systems to understand the dynamics of host-microbiome interactions. As president of Ecuadorians at Purdue University, he disseminates graduate school opportunities and provides mentorship to the fast-growing Ecuadorian community. He was a 2021 recipient of the Leslie Bottorff Fellowship and the 2019 Lynn Fellowship, both at Purdue. Muñoz has six years of industry experience in Ecuador, where he worked as a technical coordinator for the secretary of higher education, science, technology, and innovation, and as an occupational health, environment control, and safety industrial specialist for Petroamazonas EP. As a future faculty member, he will incorporate results-based management projects where students can translate learned concepts to practice. He also will embrace problem-based learning coupled with service learning to promote deeper critical thinking, engagement, and ownership.

Research Interests

Systems and Synthetic Biology of Host - Microbiome Interactions