Tina Balayo has over 25 years of international research experience in developmental biology, having worked at leading institutions, including the University of Cambridge (UK) and Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Spain). Throughout her career, particularly while under the guidance of Prof. Alfonso Martinez Arias, Tina worked on interdisciplinary projects investigating signalling pathways, cell fate specification and embryonic development. She contributed to the development of the gastruloid model system and has co-authored several scientific publications, including Balayo et al. 2025.
Tina is currently the Lab Manager of the Dias laboratory at the NOVA Institute for Medical Systems Biology (NOVA IMSB). In this role, she oversees laboratory operations and supports research activities focused on developing stem cell-based embryo models (SCBEMs) using mouse and human stem cells. Committed to fostering excellence in research, Tina mentors early-career researchers and contributes to building a dynamic, collaborative and inclusive research environment.