ABOUT ME
I am a Junior Group Leader at the Institute of Natural Resources and Agribiology (CSIC), in the group of Plant-Microbe Interactions.
I am interested in the transduction pathways underlying multitrophic interactions between belowground and aboveground plant-associated organisms. My research focuses on the molecular and chemical mechanisms governing the effect of root associated symbionts on plant interactions with other community members at different trophic levels. In my research, I use Solanum lycopersicum and Solanum dulcamara as crop and wild model plants respectively, to study the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal and Trichoderma fungi on the interaction of plants with aboveground and belowground herbivorous at several trophic levels, including herbivorous insects, natural enemies of herbivorous and pollinators. I am also interested on how root parasitic nematodes and shoot herbivorous reciprocally interact via induced plant responses, and how do plants manage to defend themselves against diverse enemies. I take a multidisciplinary approach by integrating transcriptomics and metabolomics, as well as manipulative experiments to study these interactions.
My ultimate goal is to understand how root associated organisms determine plant-insect dynamics and distribution in natural and agricultural ecosystems, and to contribute to a sustainable agricultural production.
CAREER
EDUCATION
2015 - 2019
Project Group Leader
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) - Germany
2012 - 2015
Marie Curie Postdoctoral Researcher
Utrecht University - The Netherlands
2010 - 2012
Postdoctoral Researcher
Estacion Experimental del Zaidin (EEZ)-CSIC - Spain
2006 - 2010
Ph.D. Student
Centro de Edafogia y Biologia Aplicada del Segura (CEBAS)-CSIC - Spain
2011
Diploma in Soil Sciences and Plant Physiology
Granada University- UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)
2010
Ph.D. in Biology
Centro de Edafogia y Biologia Aplicada del Segura (CEBAS)-CSIC - Alicante University
2007
M.Sc. in Biology
Centro de Edafogia y Biologia Aplicada del Segura (CEBAS)-CSIC - Alicante University
2004
B.Sc. in Environmental Sciences
Miguel Hernandez University
2008 - 2009
Research Fellow
Institute of Tropical and Subtropical Ecology, South China Agricultural University - China
2007
Research Fellow
Ohio State University - USA
2019- Now
Junior Group Leader
Institue of Natural Resources and Agrobiology (IRNASA)- CSIC - Spain