Dr. Victor J. Torres was born in Puerto Rico and received his B.S. degree in Industrial Microbiology in 2000 from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez campus. He then moved to the United States and received a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 2004 and completed his postdoctoral training, also at Vanderbilt, in 2008. In 2008, Dr. Torres joined the faculty in the Department of Microbiology at NYU School of Medicine, where he is currently a tenured Associate Professor. His research program focuses on how Staphylococcus aureusmanipulates the immune system to promote infection. Dr. Torres’ research is supported by the National Institutes of Health-National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Janssen Biotech Inc. and NYU. He has co-authored over 80 scientific publications and is member of the American Society for Microbiology. He is also a current editor for the ASM Journals Infection and Immunity and mBio, and a standing member of the NIH-C SR Bacterial Pathogenesis study section.