Born 1962 in Mexico City. Study of chemistry, bacteriology and parasitology at the Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City (1980-1985). Graduate student at the Rockefeller University, New York (1985-1991). Ph.D. 1991. Postdoctoral fellow at the Institut Pasteur, Paris (1991-1993). Assistant Professor und Associate Professor at the Skirball Institute and Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine (1993-2001). Director and Scientific Member at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology (since 2001).