The annual Faculty Appreciation and Recognition Ceremony honors faculty at Moffitt Cancer Center for their outstanding achievements. Several awards are given to those who continue to  advance Moffitt’s mission.

The W. Jackson Pledger Researcher of the Year award is given to a research faculty member who has made outstanding contributions to the understanding of cancer through innovative research. This year’s recipient is Dr. Paulo Rodriguez.

Rodriguez joined Moffitt in 2017 as an associate member of the Department of Immunology. As a tumor immunologist and preclinical investigator, he runs a highly collaborative and multidisciplinary laboratory that aims to find new ways to boost the body’s immune response to cancer and break down a tumor’s immunity to treatment.

"I joined Moffitt with the mindset of contributing to the mission and with the primary intention of growing our research program into a more translation pathway."

- Paulo Rodriguez, Ph.D., Department Chair of Immunology

This year, he was selected for the award by his peers. He says he was surprised but grateful for the recognition.

“I see the award as an acknowledgment and a potential motivation for the members of my team that have invested substantial effort in our research, but also a recognition for our collaborators both in and out of Moffitt that have significantly contributed to these studies,” Rodriguez said. “Bottom line, I receive this award with the feeling that this is a recognition for our whole team of lab members and collaborators.”

Rodriguez says he also sees the recognition as an opportunity to highlight the historical importance of tumor immunology and immunotherapy in the cancer center and a motivation to continue developing top-notch research and mentoring the next generation of tumor immunologists. He says some of his most memorable moments come from working with trainees and celebrating their impactful results and their first-time authorship in manuscripts and grants.

Science and tumor immunology are his passion and the reason he became a researcher at the cancer center.

“I joined Moffitt with the mindset of contributing to the mission and with the primary intention of growing our research program into a more translation pathway. I believe we are in the process of accomplishing both,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez wants future researchers to take calculated risks, put in maximum effort and have a positive mindset to accomplish short- and long-term goals. And when it comes to science, he says collaboration is the most crucial aspect as it enables ideas to expand and most importantly, creates new friendships.