Mariana Chaves is a Brazilian scientist and educator working at the interface of immunology and host–pathogen interactions. She obtained her M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from the Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro under the supervision of Robson Coutinho-Silva, where she developed a strong foundation in immunology and infectious diseases. She subsequently completed postdoctoral training at the National Institutes of Health under the supervision of David Sacks, and at the Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, under the supervision of Dario Zamboni. Her research focuses on the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying immune responses to protozoan infections, with particular emphasis on Leishmania species. She has contributed to advancing the understanding of macrophage–neutrophil interactions, purinergic signaling pathways, and inflammasome activation in infectious diseases. Currently, she is a Research Fellow at the Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, where she integrates innate and adaptive immunity to elucidate the determinants of disease outcome. In parallel, she is actively engaged in mentoring and scientific training, guided by principles of ethics, rigor, and transparency. Her work combines mechanistic depth with conceptual integration, aiming to advance fundamental immunology while informing translational strategies for infectious diseases.