Sara Espinosa García is a structural biologist and infectious disease researcher committed to unraveling the molecular machinery behind respiratory viruses. A graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Espinosa García brings a strong foundation in molecular science and hands-on research experience to her doctoral training at the St. Jude Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.
Before joining St. Jude, Espinosa García worked as a research specialist at Emory University, where she conducted independent studies on the structural and biochemical properties of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). Her research focused on understanding the protein components of the RSV RNA synthesis machinery—work that also involved managing collaborations across multiple research teams. This effort resulted in co-authored publications in Journal of Virology and preprint platforms, highlighting her contributions to the field of viral structure and function.
Espinosa García’s scientific journey also includes early research on stem cell differentiation for adrenal organoid development and investigations into plant polysaccharides at the University of Georgia’s Complex Carbohydrate Research Center. Her diverse experiences reflect a deep curiosity about the molecular underpinnings of both health and disease.
At St. Jude, Espinosa García is pursuing her PhD in Biomedical Sciences to build upon her expertise in structural biology and contribute to impactful infectious disease research. She is motivated by the opportunity to train in a collaborative, mission-driven environment where scientific discovery directly supports some of the world’s most vulnerable patient populations.
Hometown: Milton, GA
Education:
2021 - BS, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology – University of Georgia
Publications:
2025 Structural basis of collagen glucosyltransferase function and its serendipitous role in kojibiose synthesis (2025-01-29) Jeong Seon Kim, Zhenhang Chen, Sara Andrea Espinosa García, Christoph Buhlheller, Stephen J Richard’s, Tingfei Chen, Jingjing Wu, Ronald C Bruntz, Marisa E Gilliam, Mitsubishi Yamauchi, Bo Laing, Houfu Guo DOI:https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5850681/v1
2024 In vitro higher-order oligomeric assembly of the respiratory syncytial virus M2-1 protein with longer RNAs (2024-07-17) Yunrong Gao, Anirudh Raghavan, Sara Andrea Espinosa García, Bowei Deng, Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, Bo Liang DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/jvi.01046-24