Prof. Dr. Luiz Carlos Alcantara is a Senior Researcher at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ) and Visiting Researcher at the Department, and is Genetics at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). He holds a degree in Pharmacy from the Federal University of Ouro Preto (1992), a master's degree in Biochemistry from the Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo (1994), and a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (2002). He also has two postdoctoral degrees, the last of which was held at the National Cancer Institute, at the US National Institutes of Health. He also works as an advisor/permanent professor of the Postgraduate course in Genetics at UFMG, as well as at UFRJ; advisor/permanent professor of the Postgraduate course in Bioinformatics (Virology area) at UFMG; advisor/collaborating professor of the Postgraduate course in Public Health at the State University of Feira de Santana (UEFS); and also as advisor/collaborating professor of the Postgraduate course in Health Surveillance at INCQS/FIOCRUZ. He has also worked as a professor of bioinformatics, since 2004 at the International Bioinformatics Workshop on Virus Evolution and Molecular Epidemiology (VEME), and as a member of the RENEZIKA networks of the Ministry of Health and RELDA and VIGENDA of the Pan-American Health Organization.