Hi! My name is María, and I am a PhD candidate in Bioinformatics and Molecular Biosciences at the Bioinformatics Unit of CNIO. My work focuses on understanding tumor heterogeneity and the cellular mechanisms underlying cancer progression and treatment response through the integration of single-cell and spatial omics data with artificial intelligence methods.
I obtained a BSc in Biochemistry with highest honours in 2022 from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. During my undergraduate studies, I gained experience in molecular and cellular biology research, investigating the effects of genetic mutations on protein stability in cellular models of neurodegenerative diseases. I then completed an MSc in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at the same university, graduating in 2024. During my MSc, I joined the Bioinformatics Unit in February 2023 for a research internship and later carried out my Master’s thesis there, where I developed a method to predict tumor cell aggressiveness from single-cell and spatial transcriptomics data. Since 2024, I have been been pursuing my PhD with the support of an FPU fellowship.
My research interests span cancer biology, single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, and machine learning. I am particularly interested in leveraging computational approaches to identify clinically relevant cellular states and support the development of precision oncology strategies.
