Maria Cristina Carlan da Silva has a master's degree from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, a doctorate in Molecular Biology (Virology) from Princeton University, and two post-doctorates in virus–host interaction (Mount Sinai School of Medicine and University of Texas Medical Branch-USA). She has experience in the area of Molecular Biology, with an emphasis on Virology, working mainly on the following topics: viral replication, construction of recombinant viruses, and virus–host interaction. She is currently a professor at the Federal University of ABC, São Paulo, Brazil, and works with molecular mechanisms of replication, Human Cytomegalovirus pathogenesis, and its involvement in tumour processes.