Maria J. Macias, PhD, Speaker

I obtained the PhD in 1993, in the field of Organic Chemistry (Universidad of Salamanca). In 1993, I moved to the EMBL in Heidelberg as a Post-doctoral researcher in structural biology, in the group of Prof. Hartmut Oschkinat. In 1998, I started my career as an independent scientist, at the EMBL in Heidelberg, thanks to a Staff Scientist position that I won in a competitive call. In 2002, I moved to the IRB Barcelona upon winning an ICREA research professor position, where I’ve been working since.

Over the last decade, a large part of our work has been devoted to clarifying the role of SMAD transcription factors and cofactors in TGF-β signaling. Our long-term aim is to illustrate (with our structures) the complete picture of how full-length SMAD complexes transmit TGF-β signaling, regulate gene expression and cell fate.

In collaboration with the Gynecologic Oncology Group of the Hospital Santa Creu i Sant Pau in Barcelona, we also aim to determine the probability of relapse and metastasis in gynecologic cancer patients using artificial intelligence and data from biopsies and public databases.

I am also involved in the CALIPER project, (IRB Barcelona team), Linking Research and Innovation for Gender Equality in Research, funded by H2020_EU. This project supports the transformation of research institutions into more gender-equitable entities and the inclusion of a gender dimension in research.