Dr. Victoria Guixé obtained the Biology degree from Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile in 1978. She performs her undergraduate thesis on “Muscle hexokinase: Compartmental Aspects and Cellular Localization” under Dr. Tito Ureta’s direction. She continues her scientific training by performing Ph.D. in Biology at Facultad de Ciencias working on the kinetic mechanism and regulation of wild type and mutants forms of E. coli phosphofructokinases, under the direction of Dr. Jorge Babul. After finishing her Ph.D., Dr. Guixé moved to P. Universidad Católica de Chile, where she performed teaching activities and scientific research with Dr. Alejandro Venegas working on yeast pyruvate kinase. Then, she returned to the Facultad de Ciencias to join Dr. Ureta’ s group. She actively participates in elucidating an indirect pathway for glycogen synthesis in frog oocytes and other key findings related to the in vivo operation of glycolysis and gluconeogenesis in this system. Her research had been focused on the importance of the in vivo enzyme regulatory properties using as a model study E. coli strains expressing phosphofructokinases with different regulatory characteristics. Currently, her research is aimed to understand how along evolution, enzymes from the archaeal family of ADP-dependent kinases have acquired a vast range of molecular adaptations to thrive in many extreme environments. She has performed research stays at Harvard Medical School, Universidad de Barcelona, and Columbia University. Over the years at Universidad de Chile she mentored numerous undergraduate and graduate students, published more than 50 papers in high impacts journals, book chapters and books, and presented at numerous international conferences. She has been actively involved in teaching as well as in administration duties. She has been President, Secretary and Treasurer of the Sociedad de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular de Chile, Director of the Ph.D. program in Biología Molecular Celular y Neurociencias from University of Chile, Director of Biology 3 study group from Fondecyt, external review for the academic test for admission to the University (PSU), among others. Because of her multidisciplinary work, and complete academic career, in 2009 Dr. Victoria Guixé, the women scientist and mother of two daughters received the “Woman Generation Siglo XXI Distinction of the University of Chile”.
