About Us
Rosa Fernández
Group Leader
My research focuses on phylogenomic approaches to understand (i) how animals are related to each other, (ii) how they reshaped their genomes to generate their inmense diversity and (iii) how they adapted to new environments - such as during terrestrialization or adaptation to life in caves. Our favourite creatures are terrestrial invertebrates (mainly arthropods and annelids), but we´re expanding my interest to other lineages as well to have a better picture of animal evolution at a macroevolutionary scale.
My brief CV can be downloaded here.
Follow me on Twitter: @Rosamygale
Judit Salces
Lab Manager & Research Technician
I play two roles in the lab. On one side, I manage the lab and I'm involved in project administration. On the other, together with Nuria I lead the experimental work that happens at the lab: RNAseq experiments, Nanopore sequencing, optimizing protocols and teaching students and visitors wet lab techniques. I love the challenges associated with working with nonmodel organisms: each day at the lab is different. To sum up, I keep the lab up and running!
Follow me on Twitter: @JuditSalces
Nuria Escudero
Research Technician
Together with Judit, I lead the wet lab experiments. In addition to running the transcriptomics and genomics experiments, I'm leading the microbiology and proteomics experiments related to protein engineering and ancestral protein resurrection.
Follow me on Twitter: @EscuderoNuria
Carlos Vargas
Bioinformatician
My job is to support the lab in everything related to bioinformatics, from the management of computational resources to troubleshooting. I'm also in charge of the development of new analytical pipelines for genome assembly and annotation, phylogenomics and computational genomics. I'm also very interested in arthropod genomics, and I lead a couple of projects on this topic as well.
Follow me on Twitter: @VargasChavezC
Leandro Arístide
Postdoctoral Fellow (Juan de la Cierva-Formación)
I am interested in the interface between genomics, transcriptomics, molecular evolution and diversification dynamics. My project aims at exploring how we can incorporate genomic and gene expression data into phylogenetic modeling to further understand major evolutionary transitions.
Follow me on Twitter: @laristide
Pau Balart García
PhD Student
I am interested in understanding how life became successful in extreme habitats. My research focuses on understanding the evolution of subterranean fauna. My PhD project aims at ellucidating the genomic basis of adaptation to caves in subterranean beetles through a phylogenomics and comparative genomics approach.
Follow me on Twitter: @PauBalart1
Gemma Isabel Martínez Redondo
PhD Student
I am interested in understanding how arthropods reshaped their genomes to conquer terrestrial environments. Through a phylogenomics and comparative genomics approach informed by genomics, transcriptomics and protein engineering, I will explore the evolution of the genes that facilitated adaptation to life on land.
Follow me on Twitter: @Gemmaeling
Klara Eleftheriadi
PhD student
I'm interested in understanding the genomic changes that facilitated the conquest of land in annelids, nemerteans, tardigrades, platyhelminthes and nematodes. During my PhD project, I'll be exploring the convergent evolution of the terrestrialization genetic toolkit across these lineages in a macroevolutionary context. I'm also in charge of the de novo sequencing projects of the lab.
Follow me on Twitter: @klara_ele
Federico Hoffmann
Visiting Professor
I'm a professor at the Mississippi State University (USA). During my sabbatical, I'll be exploring sinergies with the team members of the Metazoa Phylogenomics Lab to conceptualize new methodologies in the analysis of gene family evolution.
Follow me on Twitter: @hoffmann_lab
Juan Gregorio Haro
Master student (Universidat Autónoma de Barcelona)
My master thesis focuses on understanding the population genetic structure of terrestrial nemerteans, as well as investigating how the genomes of these enigmatic creatures differ between terrestrial and marine species.
Thibaud Glinez
Master student (National Museum of Natural History, Paris)
My master thesis focuses on interrogating the phylogenetic relationships of Brentidae (Coleoptera) through NGS approaches. I'm co-adviced by Rosa and Frédéric Legendre (National Museum of Natural History, Paris).
Naira Ramos
Master student (Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona)
My master thesis focuses on exploring the genomic basis of convergent evolution in arthropods and which genes may have facilitated their terrestrialization. I'm co-adviced by Rosa and Leandro.
Alumni
2021 -2022 Vanina Tonzo, Postdoctoral Fellow - now Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Montpellier (France)
2020 -2021 Jesús Lozano-Fernández, Juan de la Cierva-Incorporación Postdoctoral Fellow - now Lecturer at University of Barcelona (Spain)
2020 - 2021 Carolina Simón Guerrero, Master Student (Autonomous University of Barcelona) - now bioinformatician in the Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB, CSIC) (Spain)
2020 - 2021 Marina Vergé, Senior thesis Student (University of Girona)
2013 - 2017 Daniel Fernández-Marchán, PhD Student (Complutense University of Madrid) - now Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Montpellier (France)
