Marco Padilla-Rodriguez, PhD

Dr. Marco Padilla-Rodriguez is the Manager of the Microscopy Shared Resource (MSR) at the University of Arizona Cancer Center. He earned his PhD from the University of Arizona, studying the mechanisms that regulate invasion and metastasis in estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer in Dr. Ghassan Mouneimne’s laboratory. During his graduate work, Dr. Padilla-Rodriguez learned advanced live-cell imaging techniques including TIRF and Lattice Light Sheet microscopy. In 2018, he started his post-doctoral training with Dr. Jean Wilson at the University of Arizona and studied proteins that regulate the developing small intestine. During this research, Dr. Padilla-Rodriguez utilized laser-scanning confocal microscopes and developed image analysis workflows for 3D datasets. From his imaging experience, Dr. Padilla-Rodriguez joined the labs of Dr. Carol Gregorio and Dr. Roberta Brinton as a microscopy specialist in 2020, where he was responsible for training new users on multiple microscope system and developing advanced image acquisition workflows for multiple projects between the two labs. A year later, Dr. Padilla-Rodriguez became a Scientific Manager at the Center for Innovation in Brain Science at the University of Arizona, during which he expanded on his microscopy specialist role and managed multiple projects involving patient-derived fibroblasts and stem cells. In 2023, Dr. Padilla-Rodriguez started his current role as MSR Manager, training new users on MSR instruments, creating and presenting educational imaging resources for users, and supporting biomedical researchers across campus.