Our April Fellow's Spotlight goes to Dr. Vivien Maltez, PhD, an Assistant Professor in the Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology within the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California San Diego (UCSD)! Dr. Maltez leverages advanced multiplex microscopy and spatial transcriptomics modalities to understand cellular interactions in immunity. This information provides important insights into immune responses and immune dysfunction in the context of various diseases, including cancer and response to cancer immunotherapies.
We are dedicated to unraveling the complexities of immunology and its role in various diseases, with the goal of pushing the boundaries of immunological research and translating our findings into potential clinical applications, says Dr. Maltez.
Image Credit: https://www.maltezlab.com/
A Southern California native, she majored in Molecular Biology at Scripps College in Claremont, California, but only recently returned home to the west coast to become a faculty member at UCSD. She has spent most of her career training on the East Coast, participating in the University of Chapel Hill's Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) and then continuing on there to earn her PhD in Microbiology and Immunology, studying bacterial pathogenesis, innate immunity, and cell death. During her post-doctoral studies, she gained experience in cancer research at the National Institutes of Health, in the Postdoctoral Research Associate Training Program. Now embarking on her faculty career, she was awarded a MOSAIC K99/R00 career transition award and joined the FIRST Faculty program at UCSD where she is combining all of these expertises and further expanding her repertoire to understand immunity across broad contexts.
Find out more about Dr. Vivien Maltez research, trajectory & experience as a KS Fellow below!
Assistant Professor, MOSAIC R00 Scholar, UCSD FIRST Program Faculty
Division of Allergy, Immunology & Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics
University of California San Diego
Briefly describe your research, why it is important, and what motivates you to pursue this area?
In my experience, the most innovative and paradigm-shifting science happens at the intersection of two fields. During my PhD, I leveraged environmental bacteria as novel models for infectious disease and modified them as tools for probing the immune system. This led to seminal discoveries that emphasized both the importance of simplified (but still in vivo) tools and their capacity to accurately predict immune cell interactions in more complex systems. Building upon this interest in cellular interactions, I pivoted to an imaging-oriented approach to immunology. Although not my original intention, I found myself fascinated by the cellular interactions in cancer: how is the immune system crippled to permit a solid tumor to grow relatively unperturbed? By leveraging a combination of spatial transcriptomics, high-multiplex protein staining, and tissue clearing techniques, I discovered highly localized cellular interactions that drove an overall shift in antitumor efficacy. My work in the imaging world has only cemented my belief that these technologies are the key to unlocking the mysteries of immune dysfunction and addressing the unmet need for innovative cancer therapies.
Now that I have stepped into a leadership role, I want to synthesize the conceptual and technical toolkits I have cultivated over the years. I am positioning my lab as an integration of my PhD (bacteria as immunological tools) and postdoc (spatial imaging of cancer– immune interactions) experiences.
To me, this is an exciting and revolutionary time to be a scientist– the technologies available, the interconnectedness of our world, and the creativity are unparalleled.
Our control over the bacterial genome has drastically improved their safety profile over the last 10 years. Our methods for spatial analyses and large data handling are improving at breakneck speed. Our ability to treat cancer has improved as well, but not as substantially as we need. Indeed, many of the therapeutic interventions for solid tumors are reliant on pre-existing spatiotemporal cellular arrangements that are amenable to these interventions; attempts to reorder the immuno-landscape of the tumor itself require fine-grain detailed information that can be leveraged. My work will maximize the underused potential of cutting-edge imaging modalities, and apply novel interdisciplinary approaches to the issues surrounding immunological impotence in the face of cancer.
Image Credit: https://www.maltezlab.com/
What prompted you to apply for the Fellows Program and how do you expect it to help shape your career?
Dr. JoAnn Trejo is UCSD’s NIH FIRST Program Director, and called attention to the Keystone Fellows Program as an excellent opportunity to expand my professional network. Once I started looking into it, I realized how many Fellows from previous years were people I knew and was amazed.
From a career perspective, gaining experience in planning and organizing conferences from the ground up this early on in my career is rare, and something I greatly look forward to experiencing.
What pivotal moment sticks with you from your experience thus far as a Keystone Symposia Fellow? How has it impacted you?
As a new 2025 fellow, I had never attended the SAB meeting before. It was an eye opening behind-the-scenes experience that I very much enjoyed. I met established investigators whom I would have been unlikely to meet in another setting, and the spontaneous conversations with these scientists who have navigated the world of academia for so long were inspiring.
How have Fellow’s Fridays impacted your experience?
The transition from postdoc to Assistant Professor is a tough road, and one best walked with friends. Although still quite new to this program, the other Fellows I have met are welcoming, warm, and wonderful. Getting to chat with them all at Fellows Friday is truly a pleasure.
What are your thoughts on the importance of mentorship? How has your Keystone mentor influenced you and your career? How do you act as a mentor for your community?
I have been lucky to have mentors who genuinely cared about more than just my productivity. They cared about my future, my physical and mental wellness, and me as a human.
When I embarked on my own mentoring journey as a graduate student, I channelled my own experiences as best I could into the next generation. I don’t advocate for standardized formats for mentoring, as I am a proponent of tailored mentoring practices and collaborative science that leans on the strengths of many.
Find out more about:
Keystone Symposia Fellows Program