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Toni Gabaldón

Principal Investigator

ICREA Research professor, group leader at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB), and the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre (BSC), and associate professor at the UPF. He leads the comparative genomics groups. His main research interests are in the fields of genomics and evolution with significant contributions to the understanding of how genes, pathways, biological organisms and communities evolve and perform their functions.

Marina Marcet-Houben

Research Engineer

I use phylogenomics and comparative genomics tools in order to study how different organisms have evolved. I am specially interested in fungal species and have worked on topics related to horizontal gene transfer, whole genome duplication and hybridization.

Miquel Àngel Schikora

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER · 2018

Bioinformatician using genomics to tackle biomedical challenges, such as the emergence of drug resistance in microbes.

Olfat Khannous

Predoctoral researcher · 2019

Biotechnologist with expertise in Bioinformatics and passionate of scientific diffusion. Currenlty working in the development and implementation of computational tools for metagenomics in a diagnostic context. Highly interested in Genomics and Biomedical research in general.

Martina Cardinali

PREDOCTORAL RESEARCHER · 2021

I am a Bioinformatician with a great interest in genomics, NGS data analysis, and biomedical research. My current research focuses on studying the human microbiome in health and disease in order to identify condition-specific patterns.

Giacomo Mutti

Predoctoral researcher · 2022

Bioinformatics master student with background in biology. I’m mainly interested in evolutionary biology and I am keen on using different programming resources and statistics to unravel genome evolution and phylogenomics questions.

Moisès Bernabeu

PREDOCTORAL RESEARCHER · 2022

I am interested in unravelling the events that occurred in the transition from the prokaryotic to eukaryotic cell. Using phylogenomic data sets we search for the distances between species groups which are interesting for these events. This work is complemented by the study of the distribution of these branches’ lengths.

Saioa Manzano

PREDOCTORAL RESEARCHER · 2022

Biochemist and Computational Biologist very interested in metagenomics and evolutionary biology. I am currently working on characterizing the relative timing of the process of eukaryogenesis.

Mrinalini Parmar

PREDOCTORAL RESEARCHER

My research curiosity is in understanding how microbes that reside in harmony within humans interact with various internal and external stimuli that may cause changes and become virulent. These concepts may in turn be beneficial to human health once deciphered.

Juan Carlos Núñez Rodríguez

Postdoctoral Researcher · 2022

My multidisciplinary research explores how non-albicans Candida pathogens evolve resistance, identifying key vulnerabilities to inform novel drug discovery and develop the next wave of antifungal treatments.

Vladislav Biriukov

Predoctoral Researcher

PhD student at the University of Barcelona with interests in genomics and its applications in biomedical research. My current research focuses on studying mutation events occurring in Candida species.

Cecilia García

Research Assistant · 2023
I am a Biologist with expertise in NGS-based approaches in the context of translational biomedical research. Really enthusiastic about giving support to the group projects.

Mariana López Matas

Management Assistant · 2023

I am a biologist specialized in laboratory and project management.
My main aim is to facilitate the advancement of scientific projects from the management point of view.
I like to support researchers in everything they need by sharing my knowledge and promoting a good atmosphere in the group.

Arnau Albert Sanchez

Web-developer

I’m a web developer that likes to code in Python, Js and PHP.
Passionate about making UI.

Álvaro Redondo del Río

Predoctoral researcher · 2023

Interested in the analysis of microbiomes, specialized in bioinformatics seeking to develop analysis and visualisation tools for ‘omic data

Sara Peregrina Cabredo

Predoctoral researcher · 2023

Bioinformatician with a background in biochemistry and molecular biology with a strong interest in metagenomic data analysis, matching learning and biomedical research. I am now analyzing and contrasting oral microbiome data from healthy people and patients in disease.

Anastasia Sukhorukova

Predoctoral researcher · 2024

Bioinformatics bachelor’s degree student skilled in Python and R. Passionate about genomics, evolutionary biology and biomedical research. Currently focused on the study of the human microbiome.

Marina Romera Castells

Laboratory Technician · 2026

Biochemist (UAB) with a Master’s Degree in Biotechnology, Genomics and Plant Biology (UAB – UB – CRAG). Working as a lab technician on sequencing workflows in microbiome research projects. Highly motivated to continue learning new sequencing technologies, applied genomics, and the relationship between genomes, evolution, and biological systems.

Hrant Hovhannisyan

Postdoctoral Researcher

The main goal of my PhD project is to shed light on host-pathogen interactions between humans and different Candida species and investigate mechanisms of pathogenicity emergence in hybrid yeasts using methods of comparative transcriptomics.

LAURA McCLUSKEY

Bioinformatician · 2025

Bioinformatician working on a variety of projects including metagenomics and plant genomics. I am excited to explore the use of more machine learning techniques within the group.

 

ALICIA BARCALA

LABORATORY TECHNICIAN · 2024

I’m clinical biochemist passionate about microbiology, mycology and parasitology, interested in understanding how microbes develop resistance and tolerance to drugs and its impact in human health and the environment, supporting all members of the group and also learning from them, through my work as a lab technician.

MIREIA LABRADOR

RESEARCH ASSISTANT/LAB MANAGER

Biotechnologist with a PhD in Genetics, specialized in yeast genomics and transcriptomics. I focus on ensuring everything in the lab runs smoothl, from scientific workflows to day-to-day operations. I also support the team in the development of new scientific technologies.

Serena Galiè

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER · 2025

I am a Biotechnologist with a PhD in Nutrition and Metabolism. My main research focus is exploring the microbiome-host interactions in human diseases, combining multi-omics data analysis with bacterial culturing and molecular dissection of the microbial-host crosstalk with in vitro gut models.

Timothy Nickels

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER · 2025

My research focuses on the genetic mechanisms of stress signaling and drug resistance in pathogenic fungi. By utilizing transposon mutagenesis followed by targeted next-generation DNA sequencing, I can perform comprehensive, forward screens in eukaryotic pathogens during exposure to different stressful conditions such as treatment with clinical antifungal drugs.

Simon Orozco-Arias

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER · 2025

Bioinformatician focused on transposable element genomics and AI-driven genome annotation. I develop deep learning models, and HPC-optimized pipelines to study TE diversity, evolution, and population variability integrating data science, comparative genomics, and supercomputing.

Marcus Yee

Predoctoral researcher · 2026

Bioinformatics PhD, part of the SpoilControl Doctoral network. My work focuses on microbial genetic analysis, identifying pathogens in metagenomic datasets.

Jacopo Vujovic

Predoctoral researcher · 2026

As an evolutionary biologist I love to explore the complex dynamics that shape organisms and their interactions. The focus of my PhD is to understand the genomic traits that underlie host adaptation and drug resistance mechanisms of human fungal pathogens. I am also a mycology enthusiast always active in science outreach.

Laia López Santasusana

Master student · 2026

I am interested in applying computational approaches and AI to better understand microorganisms, enabling faster and more accurate analyses and contributing to research with potential clinical applications.

Past members

Cinta Pegueroles

Research Engineer · 2014-2020

I am a biologist specialized in evolution, population genomics and bioinformatics. I am interested in understanding how genomes evolve, specifically focusing on adaptation on both coding and noncoding sequences.

Jesse Willis

Postdoctoral Researcher

I am working on a few projects which primarily involve metagenomics, prediction of the secondary structure of long non-coding RNAs, and analyses of next generation sequencing data.

Ester Saus

Research Assistant

My research is based on implementing new high-throughput sequencing strategies, specially in the transcriptomics field, to characterize fungal pathogens species, elucidate the secondary structure of RNAs, and to study the evolution of lncRNAs across related species.

Ewa Ksiezopolska

Postdoctoral Researcher

Interested in the evolution of antifungal resistance.

Irene Julca

Postdoctoral Researcher · 2015-2019

My principal area of interest is plant evolution and my main project is focused on understanding the phylogenetic relationships of olive with other plant species. I am also working on other different projects which involve the comparative genomic analysis of different species of plants and insects.

Laia Carreté

Postdoctoral Researcher · 2014-2019

Interested in comparative genomics and population genomics of human pathogens. My research is focused on the study of genomic changes that underlie the evolution and co-evolution of fungal pathogens.

Miguel Naranjo-Ortiz

Predoctoral Researcher · 2015-2019

Research include but not limited to lateral genomics, lateral gene transfer, hybridization, phylogeny and taxonomy all over the fungal tree of life. Has started to develop a fungus-like phenotype.

Pedro González

CEO Microomics

Rosa Fernández

Postdoctoral Researcher · 2017-2020

My research focuses on understanding how animal life took shape in space and time through phylogenomics and comparative genomics. I’m particularly interested in (i) applying state-of-the-art phylogenomic methods to unravel recalcitrant relationships in the Metazoa Tree of Life, and (ii) understanding the nature and evolution of the gene repertoire in animal genomes.

Susana Iraola Guzmán

Research Assistant · 2016-2020

Trained in Pharmacy and Molecular Biology. Interested in the study of genomics and cell mechanisms to understand different processes applied to fungal pathogens, human microbiome, and human Cancer.

Uciel Chorostecki

Postdoctoral Researcher

Interested in evolution of lncRNAs. My research is focused in the study of lncRNAs structures from different species.

Verónica Mixão

Predoctoral Researcher · 2018-2020

Interested in fungal pathogens and their evolution. My research is focused on the study of hybridisation in several fungal clades and the possible relationship between these events and the emergence of new pathogens.

Manu Molina

Research Engineer · 2018-2021

Web bioinformatician. I’m developing and administrating our websites (Drupal, WordPress, VueJs), as well the databases (MySQL, MongoDB), pipelines (Python, Shell, Nextflow) and everything related with IT inside the group (VM, Docker).

Leszek Pryszcz

PhD student · 2017

Elizabeth Gabriela Aguileta Estrada

Postdoctoral Researcher · 2013

Damien De Vienne

Postdoctoral Researcher · 2013

Filipe Garrett Vieira

Postdoctoral Researcher · 2010

Jaime Huerta Cepas

Postdoctoral Researcher · 2013

Antonios Alexandros Pittis

Postdoctoral Researcher · 2017

Ernst Thuer

Predoctoral Researcher · 2017

Salvador Jesus Capella Gutierrez

Postdoctoral Researcher · 2015

Luis Adolfo Bejarano Ardura

Research Assistant · 2017

Maxime Borry

Research Assistant · 2016

Javier Díez Pérez

Research Assistant · 2010

Diego Javier Kormes

Research Assistant · 2010

José Luis Rodríguez Alés

Research Assistant · 2014

Fran Supek

Postdoctoral Researcher · 2016

Valentina del Olmo

Postdoctoral Researcher · 2020-2024

Trained in genetics and the study of transcription regulatory networks in fungal pathogens. I am now interested in studying the genome of fungal hybrids through comparative genomics from an evolutionary perspective.

Diego's Photo

Diego Fuentes

Associate Researcher - Bioinformatician · 2020-2024

I am a geneticist with a neuroscientific and bioinformatic background (Python, Shell and R). I am interested into machine learning, big data analysis, database management, NGS pipelines and statistical analysis.

Anna Vlasova

Bioinformatician · 2020

Research bioinformatician, interested in data integration, high throughput analysis, and method development that facilitate understanding of biological data.

Guifré Torruella

Postdoctoral researcher · 2021-2024

As an evolutionary protistologist, my goal is to improve our knowledge on the origin & early eukaryote evolution, from its last common ancestor to our current biodiversity. My research involves sampling and culturing protists, sequencing and analysing their transcriptomes and genomes to tackle phylogenetic and comparative genomics questions.

Ortansa Raluca Ghita

Undergraduate student · 2021

Student of Medical Engineering-Politehnica University Bucharest. I’m interested in Biomedical research, especially the influence of microbiome in different disease.

Matteo Schiavinato

Postdoctoral Researcher · 2021-2023

I am a postdoctoral researcher with a strong interest for the evolution
of hybrid genomes. I am specifically interested in the crosstalk
between the two subgenomes of a hybrid, and in finding new ways to
analyse them.

Alicia Benavente García

Laboratory technician · 2022

I am a Laboratory Technician interested in microbiology and genomics, as well as giving support to the group and their members in their projects and careers.

Dániel Májer

Full-stack developer · 2022

Full-stack developer with a specialization in the development of applications and data management within the field of bioinformatics.

Eduard Ocaña-Pallarès

Postdoctoral researcher · 2023

I feel a strong curiosity towards the genomic divergence process that culminated into the extant biodiversity. I am particularly interested in reconstructing the evolutionary process by exploring the phylogenetic signal contained in the genomes of the extant organisms. There is still much to know about how genomes evolve, and how gene content change in parallel to lineage diversification

Gemma Montagut

Research Assistant / Lab Manager

I am a biochemist doctor with a passion for experimental methodologies and laboratory work.

I am interested in running the wet lab safely and efficiently, assessing laboratory requirements, coordinating tasks and supporting users to perform experiments to high standards.

Islam Ahaik

Predoctoral researcher

My passion lies in understanding the mechanisms behind antifungal resistance in Candida species and exploring innovative approaches to combat it. Additionally, I am highly interested in the application of natural compounds as potential antifungal agents

Kautar El Kasmi

Laboratory Technician · 2023

I am a Laboratory Technician with research orientation, interested especially in genomics, microbiology and pharmaceuticals.

I like to learn new laboratory techniques to use them in different areas and projects.

TIM BALTUSSEN

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER · 2023
Molecular microbiologist passionate about fungi and trained in fungal genetics. Studied genes associated with the germination of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. Currently working on yeast genetics, mainly Candida species.

Miguel Ángel Fernández Alcón

Master Student · 2023

Educated in biotechnology and with some expertise in food, clinical, and environmental microbiology. Presently, I am studying the oral microbiome dynamics in response to various stimuli.

Past visitors

Maria Artigues

Undergraduate Student · 2021

Undergraduate student in Human Biology. Currently interested in pursuing a career in Bioinformatics.

Cèlia Santamaria

Laboratory Technician · 2023

Laboratory Technician passionate about genomics and molecular biology , focused on supporting and assisting individual and group projects.

Matteo Schiavinato

visitor · 2018

Enric Méndez Rabella

Student · 2019

Marta Álvarez Presas

UB · 2018

Marcello Benevelli

visitor · 2018

Alberto Martín Dávila

visitor · 2011

Vladyslav Dembrovskyi

visitor · 2018

Ivan Denisov

visitor · 2012

Víctor Fernández Rodríguez

visitor · 2017

Radina Georgieva

visitor · 2015

Alicia Daniela Gómez

visitor · 2018

Ahmed Ibrahem Hafez Khafaga

Visitor · 2017

Silvia Hinojosa Alvarez

visitor · 2013

Lee Jun Hoe

visitor · 2009

Katarína Juríková

visitor · 2013

Zhihao Ling

visitor · 2011

Larissa Lopes Silva

visitor · 2010

Alexander Macdonald

visitor · 2012

John McCutcheon

visitor · 2018

Hrvoje Misetic

visitor · 2018

Hirzahida Mohd Padil

visitor · 2012

Ollivier Morgane

visitor · 2009

Luba Pardo Cortes

visitor · 2008

Antonio Pérez Hansen

visitor · 2017

Francisco Pisciottano

visitor · 2018

Teresa Puig Pijuan

visitor · 2013

Antonio José Rodríguez Sánchez

visitor · 2018

Joseph Spatafora

visitor · 2016

Brian Steven Alejandro

visitor · 2014

Denis Tagu

visitor · 2018

Isabel Valdearenas Pelegrina

visitor · 2018

Erica Valentini

visitor · 2010

Jolien van Hooff

visitor · 2018

Jue Wang

visitor · 2013

Elena Cabello Yeves

Master Student · 2019-2020

Biologist specialized in biomedicine and biotechnology. Interested in microbiology and the role of the microbiome for human health. Passionate about Arts, Nature and Science.

Geovanny Risco

Undergraduate Student · 2020-2021

Biotechnology and Computer Engineering student. Keen on technology and science in general but with special interests in biomedical research and data analysis.

Joel Moro

Master Student · 2020

Bioinformatics student at ESCI-UPF. Highly interested in comparative genomics and computational methods in biomedical research.

Jerónimo Parra Parra

Master Student · 2020

I enjoy developing software for clinic aplications

Ismael Collado Cala

Student · 2021

Student of Web Applications Development – BioInformatics (CFGS). Currently graduated in Multiplatform application development. Highly interested in Big Data and Data Analysis.

Ana Álvarez

Master Student · 2021

Biologist with expertise in Microbiology and Bioinformatics, currently working on the study of the human microbiome in health and disease. Highly interested in the use and development of methods to approach comparative genomics in microorganisms.

Andrés Garisoain Zafra

Student · 2021

Future scientist and bioinformatician. Passionate about science and technology with the purpose of doing a PhD.

Mercedes Castro

Undergraduate student · 2021

Undergraduate computer science student with strong interests in biology. My research involves prediction of secondary structures of long non-coding RNAs with the aim of studying evolution.

Ömer Ege Kara

Undergraduate student · 2021

I am Ömer Ege Kara, an undergraduate student studying Computer Engineering and Mathematics and I am interested in Applied Mathematics. In the Comparative Genomics group, I am working on the analysis of microbiome data using Machine Learning methods.

Madison Snyder

Undergraduate student · 2021

Swarthmore College Biology graduate interested in genetics and human health research. Currently interested in studying biomarkers for colorectal cancer

Saptashwa Datta

Masters student · 2021

I am an experimental biologist by training who also wants to dabble a little in the
engineering and computational side of things. Currently my research over here is
focused on the oral microbiome, transcriptomics and comparative genomics
of fungi. I am interested in working in the intersection of biology, genetic engineering, nanotechnology and computational biology.

Javier Maravall

Master student · 2022

I graduated in both mathematics and philosophy, and while currently acquiring a background in biology, I’m interested to learn how mathematical techniques can be applied in comparative genomics, particularly in the context of co-ocurrence networks.

Ghizlane Tahiri Zainane

Predoctoral researcher · 2022

Little description about your professional interest (max. 400 chars): My research
is based on two main projects: understanding the molecular basis of the
interaction of host cells with Mucorales, and the complexity of a unique RNA
interference pathway that is involved in virulence. In both cases, the main goals
are to identify new virulence factors and to analyse the complex response of host
cells against those kinds of pathogens.

Lorena Lorenzo Fernández

2023

Interested in evolutionary biology. For my PhD I am working on phylogenomics, adaptation and introgression characterization in lynx genus. Currently at BSC doing a three-months stay with Toni Gabaldón lab to resolve phylogenomic relationships within the lynxes, disentangle the introgressed regions due to present/ancient hybridization, detection of genes under selection pressures as well as structural variants characterization.

Anna Bernadas Call

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT · 2023

I am an undergraduate student of Maths and Computer Science with strong interest in applying my academic background in research in the field of Life Sciences, with a particular focus in Genetics and Biomedicine. My goal is to significantly contribute to advancement and innovation in these domains though interdisciplinary collaborations.

ALEJANDRO FARRERO FUERIS

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT · 2024-2025

Bioinformatics student, I have been a lab
technician and I love the world of
microbiology and genomics.
I am focused on learning about
bioinformatics.

OLGA GOLOVINSKAYA

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT · 2024
Web developer skilled in JavaScript, Python, and PHP, with a focus on creating bioinformatics applications. I am dedicated to developing functional and useful web solutions.

Tamara Brkic

Master student · 2025

My main objective is neuroscience, with a newly found interest in microbiology. This has led me to contemplate the direction of my PhD, and I find myself drawn to researching the microbiome and the gut-brain axis. I am very interested in enhancing my bioinformatics knowledge, as my interests involve data-driven insights into neural and microbial systems alongside experimental techniques to uncover fundamental biological mechanisms. My goal is to pursue a career that balances both wet lab research and computational analysis.

 

ALEJANDRA CAVERO

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT · 2025

I’m a first-year student in Clinical and Biomedical Laboratory, currently doing my first internship. I’m interested in experimental biomedical research, especially in microbiology, molecular genetics and biotechnology. I aim to learn new methodologies, gain practical skills, and grow professionally in the biomedical field.

Yanira Deana Paninka

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT · 2025

Driven by a deep interest in molecular biology, I aim to understand the cellular and genetic mechanisms underlying human health and disease. I’m passionate about research that leads to innovative treatments, especially in areas like cancer, pharmacology, and nutrition, with the goal of improving lives through science.

Núria Plaza Dalmases

Master student · 2025

I am a biologist, currently pursuing a master’s degree in bioinformatics with strong interest in evolution and also in personalized medicine. My aim is improving human health and life using scientific computational tools to better understand biological systems.

Emerson Rojas

WEB-DEVELOPER · 2025

I am a bioinformatics web development student with experience in IT support and system maintenance. My interests focus on web development, data analysis, and applying technology to solve real problems. I am eager to learn, contribute to innovative projects, and grow as a developer.

Alejandro Viorreta, WEB-DEVELOPER

2025

I am a bioinformatic web development student with great interest in continuing to learn programming.

Igor Trujnara

Bioinformatician

My main scientific interest is applying statistical models to solve diverse omics problems. I particularly enjoy creating reliable and reproducible pipelines and methods.

Melani Jurić

Predoctoral researcher · 2025
PhD student from the group of Dr. Direna Alonso Curbelo. I have a background in cancer science and immunology. My current research focuses on understanding how altered cell-cell interactions (between host cells and beyond) shape the tumor microenvironment at early stages to promote cancer development and progression, taking inflammation-driven pancreatic cancer as a disease paradigm.

Anna Aguila Griful

Bioinformatician · 2026

Bioinformatician with a background in microbiology, working with genomic data to better understand microorganisms and their role in health and the environment. I’m currently involved in a project on transposable elements and horizontal gene transfer in fungi, exploring their role in genome dynamics and evolution.

Diana Sofia Martins Azevedo

Master student · 2026

I am currently a Master’s student in Applied Biochemistry at University of Minho, where I also completed my Bachelor’s degree in Applied Biology. My current work focuses on studying the role of Ato proteins in Candida albicans and their involvement in cellular and metabolic mechanisms. I am particularly interested in microbiology, molecular biology, and biotechnology, especially their applications in health and disease.