Efra is a cell biologist interested in how eukaryotic cells respond to viral infections. He is originally from Puerto Rico, where he completed his undergraduate degree in biology and chemistry. He obtained his M.Sc. degree in plant biology studying protein movement in plant cells and later a Ph.D. in comparative biomedical sciences where he focused on studying viral infections in the heart, both degrees from North Carolina State University. He completed a two-year postdoctoral scholarship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studying hepatitis A virus infections in liver cells and an additional year of postdoctoral training at University of California, Davis developing platforms to identify cellular factors important for viral replication.
Outside of the laboratory, Efra is a science communicator and uses the beauty of microscopy to introduce scientific research and teach complex biological systems to the community through social media. Efra is passionate about promoting diversity and an advocate for inclusion and equity. He is the founder of #UniqueScientists (https://uniquescientists.com), a program that focuses on celebrating diversity in STEM by sharing the journey of diverse scientists worldwide and what makes them unique.