Sergio Gonzalez, Jr.
Graduate Student, Department of Pharmacology
Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity Fellow
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow (2024-2029)
Russel G. Hamilton Honors Fellow for 2024-2029
Sergio is a PhD student who graduated from San Francisco State University in 2024 with a degree in Cell and Molecular Biology and minors in Chemistry and Studio Art. As an undergraduate, he conducted research jointly between SFSU and the University of California, San Francisco, developing a novel toxicology assay to study the impact of common environmental chemicals on reproductive health. Prior to beginning graduate school, he was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.
Sergio joined Vanderbilt University’s Interdisciplinary Graduate Program (IGP) in 2024 and entered the Department of Pharmacology in 2025 by joining Dr. Qiangjun Zhou’s lab. He is currently conducting structural biology research, focusing on proteins involved in pathogenic host immune evasion with the goal of informing structure-based drug design.
Outside the lab, Sergio enjoys film photography and never misses a chance to hit the dance floor.