Cristina Palma
Assistant Professor
School of Computing | Department of Molecular Biology
- PhD in Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, Tampere University, Finland, 2022
- MSc in Biomedical Engineering, NOVA University Lisbon, Portugal, 2017
- BSc in Biomedical Engineering, NOVA University Lisbon, Portugal, 2015
Dr. Cristina Palma is a computational biologist whose research focuses on investigating the genetic regulatory mechanisms that enable microorganisms to respond and adapt to stress conditions. Dr. Palma combines computational approaches, which include developing mathematical models of gene regulatory networks, with synthetic biology. The central goal is to use mathematical models to identify the network design rules governing microbial adaptation, and synthetic biology to modify these networks, perturb adaptation, and provide insight into potential new antimicrobial treatments.
Dr. Palma joined the University of Wyoming as an Assistant Professor in the School of Computing and the Department of Molecular Biology in October 2026. Prior to this, she worked as a Postdoctoral Associate at Rice University, where she investigated Bacillus subtilis biofilm formation and the mechanisms that maintain cell envelope homeostasis, using optogenetics and mathematical modeling. She obtained her doctorate from Tampere University, Finland, where she developed biophysical models to study DNA supercoiling and how it acts as a regulatory mechanism of E. coli cold-shock adaptation.
Research Interests & Current Projects
- Developing stochastic and deterministic models of gene regulatory networks
- Integrating experimental data, including RNA-seq, flow cytometry, and microscopy, to parameterize mathematical models
- Developing computational tools for image analysis
- Investigating how nucleoid topology regulates gene expression
- Investigating the temporal dynamics of transcription factors
- Using synthetic biology to perturb gene regulatory networks and microbial stress responses
Interested in joining the Palma Group? Cristina is currently recruiting undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral researchers with backgrounds in molecular biology, microbiology, bioengineering, mathematics and/or computer science. Please send a CV and a brief motivation letter by email.
Beginning in Fall 2027, Cristina will contribute to educational efforts to bridge biology and data science by teaching courses that equip undergraduate and graduate students with computational skills to analyze, interpret, and model biological data.
Interested in discussing topics that could be covered in these courses? Please get in touch.
Google Scholar - ORCID: 0000-0002-0390-1440 - LinkedIn
The University of Wyoming has earned its Research Level 1 (R1) status from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, placing Wyoming's only four-year university with the top research universities in the United States.