About
I am a Professor of Cancer Biology at the University of Liverpool, where I established my research group in 2013 with support from a Career Development Award jointly funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Royal Society.
I hold a BSc in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Navarra (Pamplona, Spain), an MRes in Cell Biology from the Spanish National Centre of Biotechnology (CNB, Madrid), and a PhD in Cell Biology from the University of Basel, Switzerland. I subsequently undertook postdoctoral training at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California San Diego.
My research focuses on understanding how cancer cells interact with immune cells and fibroblasts within the tumour microenvironment, and how these interactions influence tumour progression, metastasis, responses to therapy, and anti-tumour immunity.
I also serve as Academic Sustainability Lead for the Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology (ISMIB), where I lead and coordinate sustainability initiatives across research activities, including the implementation of the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) across Institute laboratories and its integration into wider institutional sustainability strategy. I have also embedded environmental sustainability principles and awareness into postgraduate teaching and curriculum development within biomedical sciences programmes.
Alongside my research activities, I have extensive experience in programme coordination, academic leadership and scientific communication. I led the development of a new MSc in Cancer Biology & Therapy programme at the University of Liverpool and coordinated diverse stakeholders across teaching, administration and research environments.
I am fluent in English and German, and a native speaker of Spanish and French, having trained and worked in multilingual and multicultural environments.
Prizes or Honours
- Elected Member of Editorial Board of Frontiers in Cell & Developmental Biology (Frontiers in Cell & Developmental Biology, 2015)
- Elected Member of AcademiaNet, expert database for outstanding female academics (AcademiaNet, 2015)
- Knowledge Exchange & Impact Award (Business Gateway. University of Liverpool, 2015)
- American Association for Cancer Research Award. (AACR, 2011)
- Presentation award (European Cancer Center meeting (EuCC)., 2004)
Funded Fellowships
- Pancreatic Cancer Research Foundation (Pancreatic Cancer Research Foundation, 2015)
- Sir Henry Dale Fellowship (Wellcome Trust & The Royal Society, 2013)
- Postdoctoral fellowship. (Caja Madrid Foundation, 2008)
- Postdoctoral fellowship . (Swiss National Foundation, 2007)
- Postdoctoral fellowship . (Novartis Foundation, 2006)
- Fellowship for Research (Spanish Research Council (CSIC), 2000)
- Fellowship for undergraduate Research (Basque Government, 1999)