Leadership & Organization
The NOVA Institute for Medical Systems Biology (NIMSB) is a centre of excellence in biomedical research whose discoveries and innovation projects will contribute to improve the quality of life for patients, reduce mortality, promote sustainable societal development, and enhancing Portugal’s competitive position in Europe and worldwide. The NIMSB project had its genesis in Health Platform and was developed with the objective of stimulating excellence research in areas associated with precision medicine, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration, concentration of resources and competencies, and internationalization.
NIMSB is a Strategic Platform of NOVA, as defined in the University’s Statutes, in Article 35, crossing the competencies mentioned above.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MEET THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Board of Directors (BoD) is the body responsible for the executive direction of NIMSB, ensuring its scientific, operational, financial, and administrative management.
The members of the BoD are:
The Scientific Director, who presides over the board and has the casting vote, the Financial and Administrative Director, and the Vice-Directors for Impact & Financial Sustainability and for Research.
António Jacinto
Scientific Director
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António Jacinto is the Scientific Director of NIMSB.
Dr. Jacinto is Principal Investigator at the NOVA Institute for Medical Systems Biology and at NOVA Medical School, NOVA University Lisbon. His research interest is in understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate of tissue repair and regeneration, with a special interest on the roles played by cell metabolism and inflammation in these processes. Conducted studies in animal models and made important contributions in Drosophila epithelial repair and Zebrafish organ regeneration. But the current focus in on using systems biology approaches to study human tissue repair mechanisms and the consequences of their dysregulation, particularly in cancer and aging. The ultimate goal is to gain insights into human physiology and disease, which may lead to novel therapeutic methods that enhance human regenerative processes. Graduated in Biochemistry, in 1993, at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Portugal, and obtained a PhD in Developmental Biology and Genetics, in 1999, at the University of London, UK. After the PhD, worked as Post Doc until 2002, at University College London. Established an independent junior research group at the Gulbenkian Institute of Science, Oeiras, in 2002. Joined the Institute of Molecular Medicine, Lisbon, in 2004, where led several research projects and oversaw institutional activities. Moved to the NOVA Medical School as a Principal Investigator in 2011, taking institutional roles, as Coordinator of the CEDOC – Chronic Diseases Research Centre from 2011 until 2019, as Vice-Dean for research at the NOVA Medical School from 2014 until 2021, and at present as Coordinator of the implementation of a new research centre, the NIMSB – NOVA Institute for Medical Systems Biology, funded by the Teaming for Excellence Programme – Horizon Europe. Published high-impact research papers in high-impact journals and received prestigious international grants, including an ERC Starting Grant. Participates actively in the scientific community, frequently reviewing international research grants and papers, and serving on scientific committees and advisory boards.
Alda Castro
Finance and Administrative Director
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Alda Castro is currently the Finance and Administrative Director of a NIMSB, with over 15 years of experience in financial and management control. She has held leadership positions across various sectors, specializing in financial planning, budgeting, and audit management. As the Director of Management Control at EUROPALCO since December 2023, Alda is responsible for implementing analytical accounting systems, supporting organizational restructuring, and advising the administration on operational costs and business investments. Previously, at the NOVA Medical School, she led a team as Director of Management Control, where she developed and implemented analytical accounting systems, spearheaded a 10-year business plan, and played a key role in the faculty’s restructuring and financial oversight.
Earlier roles include Audit Consultant at Deloitte, Financial and Management Control Manager at Plural Entertainment, SA, and Financial Controller positions at ISCTE and TIMWE Group. Alda has extensive experience in managing financial teams, implementing SAP systems, and providing strategic financial insights to executive boards. A graduate in business management from ISCTE, with additional governance training from the University of Economics in Prague, she also holds certifications in audit, taxation, and risk management.
Sofia Miguel
Vice-Director
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Sofia Miguel is the NIMSB Vice-director for Financial Sustainability and Impact.
Over the last 20 years, Dr. Miguel has been essentially linked to the national scientific and technological system. In 2002 she obtained her degree in Organic Chemistry from the Faculty of Sciences of University of Lisbon. After that, she worked five years for a national pharmaceutical company and at ITQB NOVA designing and developing new organic compounds with pharmaceutical and biomedical interest.
In 2012 she obtained her PhD in the field of Engineering Sciences and Technology from ITQB NOVA and where she also conducted her post-doctoral studies. She has several publications in peer-reviewed journals.
In 2014, she decided to join to the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, the national agency responsible for the funding of research in science, technology and innovation in all areas of knowledge. During the period she spent at FCT, she worked directly with the Board of Directors as scientific officer designing, implementing and monitoring robust evaluation processes, respecting the best international practices.
In 2018, Dr. Miguel joined again to NOVA to implement and coordinate the Research Funding Office, and the scientific activities of the SPEAR project designed to developed and implement Gender Equality Plans in the Academia. In 2022, she was invited to be adviser for Science and European affairs of the Portuguese Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education and where she become later Head of Cabinet.
Cláudia Nunes
Vice-Director
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Cláudia Nunes Santos is the NIMSB Vice-director for Research.
Dr. Cláudia Nunes dos Santos is Principal Investigator at NOVA Medical School and Guest Researcher at NIMSB. Her research is focused on understanding the role of polyphenols in providing the health benefits associated with consuming bioactive-rich plant foods and understanding the mechanistic basis of these beneficial changes. She is particularly interested in the ability of polyphenols metabolites to reach the brain and prevent or reverse the main hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases.
She received her PhD at University of Lisbon in Plant Biochemistry and conducted her postdoctoral studies at Institute of Technology and Chemistry Biology, Portugal. She then worked as a Research Group Leader of the Molecular Nutrition and Health Lab at ITQB NOVA, before joining NOVA Medical School in Lisbon. She was awarded in 2018 with an ERC starting grant for zooming the link between diet and brain health focused in how phenolic metabolites modulate brain inflammation. Recently she was awarded with an ERC Proof-of-concept focused on a novel small molecule “NeuroShield” for tackling Parkinson’s Disease. She was also involved in a series of EU projects as a group leader and work-package leader (FP7-EUBerry; FP7-BacHBerry; Horizon2020-CHIC) and have attracted funding from Portuguese National Agency.
She has published over 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals (H-Index of 35, Web of Science).
Ana Pombo
MDC representative
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Ana Pombo is Vice-speaker of the Systems Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease Research Program of the MDC Berlin in the Helmholtz Association and Deputy Scientific Director of Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology (BIMSB) at the MDC.
She received her PhD in Physiological Sciences from the University of Oxford (UK) in 1998, which she developed at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology. She received a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship and remained in Oxford until 2000. She became a Group Leader at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Systems (MRC-LMS, UK). In 2012, she founded the Integrative Biology Section, MRC-LMS, and became a Professor in Cell Biology at Imperial College London. In 2013, she moved to Germany as a Group Leader at BIMSB, supported by a Helmholtz Association Distinguished Professorship, and became Professor (W3) at the Humboldt University of Berlin. From 2019, she serves as Deputy Scientific Director of BIMSB, MDC, and from 2022, as Vice-speaker of the Systems Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease research program of the MDC in the Helmholtz Association. She was the lead applicant of the NIMSB Teaming for Excellence project and NIMSB spokesperson at MDC. She has been a member of the NIH Common Funds 4D-Nucleome consortium since 2015, and co-coordinates the DFG Priority Program SPP2202 “Spatial Genome Architecture in Development and Disease”. Her research focuses on decoding the regulatory roles of 3D genome structure in gene expression and cellular memory. Her lab has pioneered high-resolution imaging and genomics technologies to study 3D genome architecture.
NIMSB-NOVA COORDINATION COMMITTEE
MEET THE COORDINATION COMMITTEE
This committee is the support body to the Supervisory Board that ensures the articulation between NIMSB and NOVA’s schools. The committee is constituted by the vice-rector for Research and Innovation, who presides, a member appointed by the Rector, who assists and by one representative of each school participating in the platform, appointed by the respective Dean.
These members are mainly responsible for the monitoring of NIMSB implementation and performance and NIMSB activities carried out in collaboration with NOVA’s schools. They also issue opinions and recommendations to the Supervisory Board whenever requested or whenever deemed necessary.
Cecilia Roque
President
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Cecília Roque
President
Cecília Roque is Vice-Rector for Research and Advanced Training
Cecília Roque is a Full Professor of Bioengineering at NOVA School of Science and Technology (NOVA-FCT), where she leads the Biomolecular Engineering Laboratory. She served as Director of the UCIBIO Research Unit and as a member of the Board of the Associated Laboratory i4HB. At NOVA-FCT, she has held several management roles, including as an elected member of the Scientific Council.
She holds a degree in Chemical Engineering and a PhD in Biotechnology from Instituto Superior Técnico, and she has also obtained Habilitation in Bioengineering at NOVA. She has been part of the leadership of national and international scientific societies in the fields of Biotechnology and Bioengineering. Her research has been carried out in several international institutions, including the University of Cambridge, University of São Paulo, City University of New York, and KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Her work focuses on biomimetics, through an approach that integrates chemistry, biotechnology and engineering. She has published over 130 scientific articles and supervised numerous postdoctoral researchers and PhD students. Her research has been recognised with multiple national and international awards and grants, including one Starting Grant and two Proof-of-Concept Grants from the European Research Council (2014–2024).
Emília Monteiro
Representative appointed by the Rector
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Emília Monteiro
Representative appointed by the Rector
Emília Monteiro is Vice-Rector for Education, Academic Life, Health and Quality
She is a Full Professor of Pharmacology at NOVA Medical School. She graduated in Medicine from the University of Navarra and holds a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Porto.
For ten years, she served as Deputy Director and Chair of the Pedagogical Council at NOVA Medical School.
She has chaired several evaluation committees of A3ES. She has developed multiple capacity‑building initiatives in clinical research: she was Co-Director of the PTCSRT programme (FCT–Harvard Medical School); created the master’s in clinical research management at NOVA University Lisbon; founded NOVA CRU; and initiated the creation of COLAB Trials. She was also the founder of PtCRIN, the Portuguese clinical research infrastructure integrated into the Landmark ECRIN‑ERIC.
She served as President of the Portuguese Society of Pharmacology, was a member of the Scientific Council of the Agence Nationale de Sécurité du Médicament et des Produits de Santé (France) and was a member of the Ethics Committee for Clinical Research (CEIC).
She is currently Vice-President of the National Academy of Medicine of Portugal.
FCT NOVA
NMS
NOVA Law
IHMT NOVA
NOVA IMS
ITQB NOVA
ENSP
SUPERVISORY BOARD
MEET THE SUPERVISORY BOARD
The Supervisory Board (SB) is the strategic decision-making and supervisory body of NIMSB. This Board is composed of five members, three of whom are appointed by the Rector, heard the Coordination Committee, and two members appointed by the Director of the MDC. The SB is chaired by one of its members, appointed by the Rector.
The Supervisory Board is responsible for monitoring the legality, effectiveness, and economic efficiency of the management of all the activities of NIMSB and can request at any time reports from the Board of Directors. It determines which decisions of the Board of Directors require the prior approval of the Supervisory Board and may issue instructions about important matters involving political aspects of the research and financial affairs of the institute.
Cecilia Roque
President
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Cecília Roque
President
Cecília Roque is Vice-Rector for Research and Advanced Training
Cecília Roque is a Full Professor of Bioengineering at NOVA School of Science and Technology (NOVA-FCT), where she leads the Biomolecular Engineering Laboratory. She served as Director of the UCIBIO Research Unit and as a member of the Board of the Associated Laboratory i4HB. At NOVA-FCT, she has held several management roles, including as an elected member of the Scientific Council.
She holds a degree in Chemical Engineering and a PhD in Biotechnology from Instituto Superior Técnico, and she has also obtained Habilitation in Bioengineering at NOVA. She has been part of the leadership of national and international scientific societies in the fields of Biotechnology and Bioengineering. Her research has been carried out in several international institutions, including the University of Cambridge, University of São Paulo, City University of New York, and KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Her work focuses on biomimetics, through an approach that integrates chemistry, biotechnology and engineering. She has published over 130 scientific articles and supervised numerous postdoctoral researchers and PhD students. Her research has been recognised with multiple national and international awards and grants, including one Starting Grant and two Proof-of-Concept Grants from the European Research Council (2014–2024).
Emília Monteiro
Representative appointed by the Rector
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Emília Monteiro
Representative appointed by the Rector
Emília Monteiro is Vice-Rector for Education, Academic Life, Health and Quality
She is a Full Professor of Pharmacology at NOVA Medical School. She graduated in Medicine from the University of Navarra and holds a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Porto.
For ten years, she served as Deputy Director and Chair of the Pedagogical Council at NOVA Medical School.
She has chaired several evaluation committees of A3ES. She has developed multiple capacity‑building initiatives in clinical research: she was Co-Director of the PTCSRT programme (FCT–Harvard Medical School); created the master’s in clinical research management at NOVA University Lisbon; founded NOVA CRU; and initiated the creation of COLAB Trials. She was also the founder of PtCRIN, the Portuguese clinical research infrastructure integrated into the Landmark ECRIN‑ERIC.
She served as President of the Portuguese Society of Pharmacology, was a member of the Scientific Council of the Agence Nationale de Sécurité du Médicament et des Produits de Santé (France) and was a member of the Ethics Committee for Clinical Research (CEIC).
She is currently Vice-President of the National Academy of Medicine of Portugal.
Young-Ae Lee
MDC
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Young-Ae Lee
MDC
Young-Ae Lee studied Medicine in Germany and in the USA. She did her postdoctoral work in human genetics and completed her training in pediatrics and allergology at Charité Children’s Hospital where she was appointed full professor at Charité Medical School. She was senior investigator in the National Genome Research Project and in Multiple Consortia on Allergic Disease Genetics. She subsequently became group leader at the MDC supported by a Helmholtz Association Distinguished Professorship and heads the pediatric allergy clinic at the Experimental and Clinical Research Center of MDC and Charité. Her research group uses multiomics approaches in large study groups of affected patients and families to understand disease risk, disease heterogeneity and longterm trajectories in allergic diseases and chronic inflammation, and to enable the development of novel diagnostic and predictive clinical tools.
Nikolaus Rajewsky
MDC
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Nikolaus Rajewsky is the scientific director of the Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology at the Max Delbrück Center (MDC-BIMSB) in Berlin Mitte, which he founded in 2008.
The MDC-BIMSB houses now about 25 labs. Nikolaus investigates how and why genes are switched on or off in healthy and diseased cells and develops methods to interfere with disease trajectories. A special focus is on non-coding RNAs. To this end, he combines computational approaches (computer science, statistics, theoretical physics) with methods from biochemistry and molecular biology. Nikolaus Rajewsky is a member of numerous international advisory boards, an elected member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), the “Leopoldina” (German Academy of Sciences) as well as the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences. He is among the most highly cited researchers in his field and has received numerous awards, including an honorary doctorate from La Sapienza University in Rome and the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize from the German Research Foundation DFG.
Isabel Fragata
NOVA
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Isabel Fragata is an invited Professor at NOVA Medical School, head of the Department of Neuroradiology at ULS São José in Lisbon, and President of the Portuguese Society of Neurointervention.
Isabel Fragata obtained her medical degree in Portugal in 2001 and trained in Lisbon as a neuroradiologist. She completed a fellowship in Neurointervention at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York in 2007. Her medical career has been dedicated to interventional neuroradiology, both in adults and children, with a strong interest in the endovascular treatment of complex cerebrovascular diseases. She has had a leading role in developing interventional neuroradiology in Portugal, as a founder of the Portuguese Society of Neurointervention, as well as of the subspecialty of Interventional Neuroradiology. She is dedicated to teaching young neurointerventionalists, as a coordinator of the Intensive neurovascular course in Lisbon in recent years, and as faculty for the ESMINT Skills training course. She completed a Master degree in Neurosciences in 2003, followed by a PhD degree in 2018. She has a special interest in translational research, and is an leading researcher in several international clinical trials in stroke. She authored more than 110 scientific publications (h-index of 21, Google scholar). She strives to combine her career as an active physician with the role of a clinical researcher, as well as a mentor for younger physicians.
SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD
MEET THE SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD
The Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) is an advisory body for internal evaluation and counseling on strategic, scientific orientation, and maximizing societal impact.
It is composed of members external to NOVA, including international experts with recognized scientific competence in the NIMSB’s field of activity and representatives of partners and stakeholders, namely, NOVA, MDC, regional and national authorities, patient associations, medical organizations, hospitals, and sector companies. The composition and functioning of the Board are ruled by the funding agreement of NIMSB between the European Research Executive Agency of the European Commission and NOVA and by the consortium agreement between NOVA and MDC.
More information coming soon…
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MEET THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Board of Directors (BoD) is the body responsible for the executive direction of NIMSB, ensuring its scientific, operational, financial, and administrative management.
The members of the BoD are:
The Scientific Director, who presides the board and has the casting vote, the Financial and Administrative Director and the Vice-Directors for Impact & Finantial Sustainability and for Research.
António Jacinto
Scientific Director
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António Jacinto is the Scientific Director of NIMSB.
Dr. Jacinto is Principal Investigator at the NOVA Institute for Medical Systems Biology and at NOVA Medical School, NOVA University Lisbon. His research interest is in understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate of tissue repair and regeneration, with a special interest on the roles played by cell metabolism and inflammation in these processes. Conducted studies in animal models and made important contributions in Drosophila epithelial repair and Zebrafish organ regeneration. But the current focus in on using systems biology approaches to study human tissue repair mechanisms and the consequences of their dysregulation, particularly in cancer and aging. The ultimate goal is to gain insights into human physiology and disease, which may lead to novel therapeutic methods that enhance human regenerative processes. Graduated in Biochemistry, in 1993, at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Portugal, and obtained a PhD in Developmental Biology and Genetics, in 1999, at the University of London, UK. After the PhD, worked as Post Doc until 2002, at University College London. Established an independent junior research group at the Gulbenkian Institute of Science, Oeiras, in 2002. Joined the Institute of Molecular Medicine, Lisbon, in 2004, where led several research projects and oversaw institutional activities. Moved to the NOVA Medical School as a Principal Investigator in 2011, taking institutional roles, as Coordinator of the CEDOC – Chronic Diseases Research Centre from 2011 until 2019, as Vice-Dean for research at the NOVA Medical School from 2014 until 2021, and at present as Coordinator of the implementation of a new research centre, the NIMSB – NOVA Institute for Medical Systems Biology, funded by the Teaming for Excellence Programme – Horizon Europe. Published high-impact research papers in high-impact journals and received prestigious international grants, including an ERC Starting Grant. Participates actively in the scientific community, frequently reviewing international research grants and papers, and serving on scientific committees and advisory boards.
Alda Castro
Finance and Administrative Director
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Alda Castro is currently the Finance and Administrative Director of a NIMSB, with over 15 years of experience in financial and management control. She has held leadership positions across various sectors, specializing in financial planning, budgeting, and audit management. As the Director of Management Control at EUROPALCO since December 2023, Alda is responsible for implementing analytical accounting systems, supporting organizational restructuring, and advising the administration on operational costs and business investments. Previously, at the NOVA Medical School, she led a team as Director of Management Control, where she developed and implemented analytical accounting systems, spearheaded a 10-year business plan, and played a key role in the faculty’s restructuring and financial oversight.
Earlier roles include Audit Consultant at Deloitte, Financial and Management Control Manager at Plural Entertainment, SA, and Financial Controller positions at ISCTE and TIMWE Group. Alda has extensive experience in managing financial teams, implementing SAP systems, and providing strategic financial insights to executive boards. A graduate in business management from ISCTE, with additional governance training from the University of Economics in Prague, she also holds certifications in audit, taxation, and risk management.
Sofia Miguel
Vice-Director
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Sofia Miguel is the NIMSB Vice-director for Financial Sustainability and Impact.
Over the last 20 years, Dr. Miguel has been essentially linked to the national scientific and technological system. In 2002 she obtained her degree in Organic Chemistry from the Faculty of Sciences of University of Lisbon. After that, she worked five years for a national pharmaceutical company and at ITQB NOVA designing and developing new organic compounds with pharmaceutical and biomedical interest.
In 2012 she obtained her PhD in the field of Engineering Sciences and Technology from ITQB NOVA and where she also conducted her post-doctoral studies. She has several publications in peer-reviewed journals.
In 2014, she decided to join to the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, the national agency responsible for the funding of research in science, technology and innovation in all areas of knowledge. During the period she spent at FCT, she worked directly with the Board of Directors as scientific officer designing, implementing and monitoring robust evaluation processes, respecting the best international practices.
In 2018, Dr. Miguel joined again to NOVA to implement and coordinate the Research Funding Office, and the scientific activities of the SPEAR project designed to developed and implement Gender Equality Plans in the Academia. In 2022, she was invited to be adviser for Science and European affairs of the Portuguese Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education and where she become later Head of Cabinet.
Cláudia Nunes
Vice-Director
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Cláudia Nunes Santos is the NIMSB Vice-director for Research.
Dr. Cláudia Nunes dos Santos is Principal Investigator at NOVA Medical School and Guest Researcher at NIMSB. Her research is focused on understanding the role of polyphenols in providing the health benefits associated with consuming bioactive-rich plant foods and understanding the mechanistic basis of these beneficial changes. She is particularly interested in the ability of polyphenols metabolites to reach the brain and prevent or reverse the main hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases.
She received her PhD at University of Lisbon in Plant Biochemistry and conducted her postdoctoral studies at Institute of Technology and Chemistry Biology, Portugal. She then worked as a Research Group Leader of the Molecular Nutrition and Health Lab at ITQB NOVA, before joining NOVA Medical School in Lisbon. She was awarded in 2018 with an ERC starting grant for zooming the link between diet and brain health focused in how phenolic metabolites modulate brain inflammation. Recently she was awarded with an ERC Proof-of-concept focused on a novel small molecule “NeuroShield” for tackling Parkinson’s Disease. She was also involved in a series of EU projects as a group leader and work-package leader (FP7-EUBerry; FP7-BacHBerry; Horizon2020-CHIC) and have attracted funding from Portuguese National Agency.
She has published over 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals (H-Index of 35, Web of Science).
Ana Pombo
MDC representative
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Ana Pombo is Vice-speaker of the Systems Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease Research Program of the MDC Berlin in the Helmholtz Association and Deputy Scientific Director of Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology (BIMSB) at the MDC.
She received her PhD in Physiological Sciences from the University of Oxford (UK) in 1998, which she developed at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology. She received a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship and remained in Oxford until 2000. She became a Group Leader at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Systems (MRC-LMS, UK). In 2012, she founded the Integrative Biology Section, MRC-LMS, and became a Professor in Cell Biology at Imperial College London. In 2013, she moved to Germany as a Group Leader at BIMSB, supported by a Helmholtz Association Distinguished Professorship, and became Professor (W3) at the Humboldt University of Berlin. From 2019, she serves as Deputy Scientific Director of BIMSB, MDC, and from 2022, as Vice-speaker of the Systems Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease research program of the MDC in the Helmholtz Association. She was the lead applicant of the NIMSB Teaming for Excellence project and NIMSB spokesperson at MDC. She has been a member of the NIH Common Funds 4D-Nucleome consortium since 2015, and co-coordinates the DFG Priority Program SPP2202 “Spatial Genome Architecture in Development and Disease”. Her research focuses on decoding the regulatory roles of 3D genome structure in gene expression and cellular memory. Her lab has pioneered high-resolution imaging and genomics technologies to study 3D genome architecture.