The brains behind the brains.

Research Assistant

Carla Rodríguez Moreno

I studied Biology at Universidad de Salamanca before pursuing my MSc in Neuroscience at INCYL in the same university. I joined Maria Llorens-Martín lab in 2019 as a research assistant. I am interested in adult hippocampal neurogenesis and its role in neurodegenerative diseases.

carla.rodriguez@cbm.csic.es

PhD Student

Ana V. Prádanos Senén

I studied Health Biology at the University of Alcalá de Henares and later obtained a Master’s degree in Neuroscience at the Autonomous University of Madrid. I developed both my final degree project and master’s thesis at the Cajal Institute, where I began to focus on the neurogenic process. In 2022, I joined María Llorens-Martín’s laboratory to pursue my PhD. My main goal is to unveil the unique alterations of the human adult hippocampal neurogenic niche in Alzheimer’s disease.

apradanos@cbm.csic.es

PhD Student

Marta Gallardo-Caballero

I obtained a BSc in Biomedical Sciences from the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona and later earned an MSc in Neuroscience from the same university. During this time, I developed expertise in neurobiology and the study of human adult neural stem cells. Driven by my interest in the neurogenic process, I joined María Llorens-Martín's lab in 2022, where I am currently pursuing my Ph.D., focusing on elucidating the molecular mechanisms that regulate adult hippocampal neurogenesis in neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases.

marta.gallardo@csic.es

PhD Student

Marta Alonso Moreno

I studied Pharmacy at the University of Navarra (Pamplona). During my undergraduate degree, particularly while working on my dissertation, I developed an interest in synaptic plasticity and neurodegenerative diseases. I then pursued a Master of Research (MRes) in Neuroscience at the University of St Andrews (Scotland), where I focused on Alzheimer’s disease and adult hippocampal neurogenesis. In 2023, I joined María Llorens-Martín’s lab to pursue a PhD centered on studying the synaptic integration of new granule neurons in Alzheimer’s disease.

marta.alonso@cbm.csic.es

Bioinformatician

Alba Ruiz Vinuesa

I studied Biomedical Engineering at Rey Juan Carlos University, where I developed a particular interest in the application of Artificial Intelligence in the healthcare sector. For my final degree project, I focused on predicting antimicrobial resistance from irregular time series. In 2023, I began a Master's degree in Artificial Intelligence at the International University of La Rioja, as well as a Master's degree in Data Science at the Autonomous University of Madrid. In 2024, I joined María Llorens-Martín's lab as a bioinformatician, with the objective of implementing and developing artificial intelligence algorithms to process microscopy images of cells and extract relevant information.

alba.ruizvinuesa@outlook.es

PhD Student

Marta Chico Fuentes

I graduated in Health Biology from the University of Alcalá and later obtained a Master’s degree in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biomedicine at the Complutense University of Madrid. During this time, I developed a strong interest in stem cells and neurodegenerative diseases. In 2025, I joined María Llorens-Martín’s lab, where I am pursuing my PhD on the molecular mechanisms underlying the alterations of adult neurogenesis in physiological and pathological aging..

mchico@cbm.csic.es

Postdoctoral Researcher-Bioinformatician

Maximiliano Sebastian Beckel

I hold a PhD in Biological Sciences and a specialization in Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery from the University of Buenos Aires. At the Leloir Institute, my thesis focused on bioinformatics approaches to study gene expression regulation. During my first postdoctoral position, I investigated the genetic mechanisms that regulate neurogenesis in mice. In 2025, I joined the Llorens Lab, where I perform transcriptomics analyses in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

mbeckel@cbm.csic.es