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Randall Jiménez Quirós, Ph.D., M.S.
Postdoctoral Fellow
B.S. and M.Sc., National University, Costa Rica; Ph.D., Ulm University, Germany
Google Scholar ProfileBiography
Randall Jiménez Quirós is a biologist and postdoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute's Center for Conservation Genomics. He studies the innate skin defense in Appalachian salamander species against chytrid disease. Randall investigates how host skin microbiomes and peptides interact and affect chytrid disease dynamics in species that differ in chytrid susceptibility. His research focuses on the functional importance of host-secreted peptides and microbiomes (the mucosome) on pathogen-killing ability to better understand pathogen resistance and to provide information for conservation actions.
Recent Publications
R.R., Jiménez, G. Alvarado, J. Estrella and S. Sommer. 2019. Moving beyond the host: unraveling the skin microbiome of endangered Costa Rican amphibians. Frontiers in Microbiology, 10.
R.R., Jiménez, and S. Sommer. 2017. The amphibian microbiome: natural range of variation, pathogenic dysbiosis, and role in conservation. Biodiversity and Conservation 4.
R.R., Jiménez, E. Barquero-Calvo, J.G. Abarca and L.P. Porras. 2015. Salmonella isolates in the introduced Asian house gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) with emphasis on Salmonella Weltevreden, in houses of two regions in Costa Rica. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases 15.
