Maria “Maryska” Kaczmarek 

Research Manager







Maria is our Research Manager. She holds a Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology from the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied virus-driven evolution of host cellular receptors to better understand barriers to cross-species transmission.

Before joining the Palacios Lab, Maryska was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Microbiology at New York University and later a Senior Research Scientist at EcoHealth Alliance. Her work has used evolutionary and bioinformatic approaches to study viral adaptation, how reservoir hosts tolerate or resist infection, and which host proteins may act as barriers to infection. Her research aims to clarify the evolutionary and mechanistic drivers of cross-species transmission, with the broader goal of improving our ability to predict viral spillover risk.


Outside of work, Maryska enjoys spending time with her family, cooking and baking, and long-distance running.




Palacios LabIcahn School of Medicine at Mt. SinaiGlobal Health & Pathogens Institute2026