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After graduating in Biology from the University of Salamanca in 2003, I began my doctoral thesis at the UVa. My work consisted of studying the subcellular dynamics of calcium, focusing essentially on the study of the regulatory mechanisms of calcium dynamics in secretory vesicles and mitochondria. During this period I had the opportunity to carry out pre-doctoral stays at the University of Cambridge (UK) and at the Karolinska Institute (Sweden).  In 2008 I moved to the Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism at the University of Geneva (Switzerland) to start a postdoctoral stay where I had the opportunity to work on the molecular and functional basis of mitochondrial subcellular heterogeneity. After 5 years at the University of Geneva, I joined the newly created Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences, located in the science park of the Ecole Polytechnique de Lausanne (Switzerland), as a specialist in mitochondrial biology. There, I work on novel mechanisms regulating mitochondrial activity in the pancreatic beta cell, a cellular process essential for insulin secretion. In addition, I am joining Nestlé Research's drug screening platform for the identification of new bioactive compounds with potential for the treatment of different chronic metabolic diseases.  In January 2021 I will rejoin UVa as a senior postdoctoral researcher.

My current area of research is the study of the integration of mitochondrial function in different cellular, physiological and pathological contexts, more specifically:

1) The study of cellular homeostatic mechanisms of adaptation to mitochondrial dysfunction. These mechanisms, which are still poorly understood, could in the future be potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of mitochondrial-based diseases, as well as in the context of ageing.

2) The study of new regulatory mechanisms of mitochondrial activity in the pancreatic beta cell. These are essential for insulin secretion by pancreatic beta cells and therefore for the maintenance of glucose homeostasis in the organism.

3) The study of the functional interaction of mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum calcium signalling with genetic ageing pathways, using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model.

My vision is that this research could contribute to the development of new therapeutic strategies targeting mitochondria, both for the treatment of mitochondrial-based metabolic diseases and in the context of ageing.