The team
FACULTY / CAREER-TRACK FELLOW
CRISTINA FERRANDIZ
I was trained in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Univ. of Valencia. I have worked in Plant Developmental Genetics since 1992, when I started my PhD working in MADS box genes in pea under Jose Pio Beltrán’s supervision at IBMCP. Then I did 4 years postdoctoral work with Marty Yanofsky at UCSanDiego, and two additional years back in Spain at UPM in Madrid and UMH in Alicante before I got my current position in 2002. Now I work as CSIC full professor at IBMCP.
VICENTE BALANZÀ
I studied Biology in the University of Valencia and obtained my Ph.D. in Biotechnology in the Polytechnic University of Valencia in 2011. Since then I have been passionate of the genetic and molecular biology of plant development. After two post-doc stages at the university of Milan (with prof. Lucia Colombo) (2011-2013) and at the dutch company Keygene (2013-2016) I came back home and joined Cristina’s lab to work in the regulation of the end of flowering. Nowadays I have been awarded with a tenure-track position of the Ramon y Cajal Spanish program that will allow me to follow with the end of flowering studies as well as to start a new research challenge: trans-generational communication in plants.
POSTDOCS
PATRICIA BALLESTER
I graduated in Biology at the Univ. of Valencia, but it was the Master's Degree in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biotechnology at the Universitat Politècnica de València that led me to start a Phd in Plant Developmental Genetics under the supervision of Cristina Ferrándiz. During my thesis I was focused on the study of NGATHA genes and I became a Doctor in 2016. Then I did a short postdoctoral work at the Heinrich-Heine University in Düsseldorf, after which Idecided to take a career break (welcome Lidia, F1!) and now, I came back to work in the Prometeo project NON-STOP-CROP and the follow-up DONT-STOP-ME-FLOW to identify the molecular mechanisms controlling the global proliferative arrest in different species.
IRENE MARTINEZ FERNANDEZ
I studied biology at the U. Valencia and the Master’s Degree in Plant Genetics and Breeding at UPV. During my thesis, supervised by Cristina, I focused on the genetic control of the shoot apical meristem arrest and its application to increase the life span of monocarpic plants. After I got my PhD in 2017, I participated in different project as postdoctoral research in Spain, working with editing techniques in tabaco and studing QTLs involved on melon fruit shape. In 2019 I moved to Nort of Sweden, Umeå, with a postdoctoral research position in the group of Markus Schmid, where I studied the effect of temperature on flowering regulation at the tissue-and cell- type-specific level. After a great Nordic experience, I came back to IBMCP, to continue with my research career working in the project LEGUMEPOWER.
MOISES PEREZ ROJAS
I studied agronomy, then I obtained a master's degree in Phytopathology and a PhD in Plant Biotechnology in 2023 in the CINVESTAV, Mexico, trying to understand the role of cytokinin siganlling in flower and fruit development of strawberries. Now, thanks to a scholarship granted by the government of Mexico City, I will do a postdoc at UPV focused on identifying factors exported from seeds that induce the end of flowering in annual crops, under the supervision of Dr. Cristina Ferrándiz.
PhD STUDENTS
IRENE GONZALEZ CUADRA
I graduated in Biochemistry from Univ. de Córdoba in 2018. In my TFG project I worked on NZF1, a CCCH-type zinc finger protein involved in regulation of nitrate assimilation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Then I studied a Master degree in "Plant Molecular and Cellular Biotechnology" from Univ. Politécnica de Valencia. During my TFM I studied how cytokinin signaling and mitotic activity are factors involved in the control of global proliferative arrest in Arabidopsis. Also, I learned live imaging techniques. After my Master degree, I have just obtained an FPI fellowship for pursuing a PhD project to work on new factors controlling GPA in Arabidopsis.
MARIA JESUS LOPEZ MARTIN
I studied Biochemistry and Biotechnology at the Univ. of Malaga. I decided to specialise in the field of Plant Biotechnology and got a Master's Degree in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biotechnology at the IBMCP. During the master's degree I joined Dr. Concha Gomez's group, where I was trained in the latest techniques of molecular biology. I am currently developing my PhD in the study of the "Global Proliferative Arrest" (GPA) in tomato. This project is the result of a collaboration between the laboratories of Dr. Cristina Ferrandiz and Dr. Concha Gomez. It represents the exciting challenge of studying GPA in a crop of huge economic importance!
RAFA PEREZ MORAGA
I graduated in Biotechnology from the University of Granada, and upon completion, I decided to specialize in Plant Biotechnology. I pursued a Master's degree in “Advances in Agricultural Biology and Aquaculture”, focusing my thesis on the characterization of carotenoids and sugars in different varieties of Cucurbita pepo within the Department of Plant Physiology. Following this, I worked for a year at the IBVF, where I acquired skills in molecular biology techniques and studied the pathway of SOS ion transporters. Currently, I am pursuing my PhD in the regulation of FRUITFULL (FUL), which is crucial for controlling the Global Proliferative Arrest (GPA).
CAROLINA RODRIGUEZ PELAYO
I am a biologist who graduated from the University of Antioquia in Colombia with a master's degree in Biology, specialized in the evolution and development of plants. During my master's, I conducted research on the reproductive transition in ferns and lycophytes. Currently, I am pursuing my Ph.D. at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, specializing in Biotechnology. My doctoral research focuses on studying genes involved in carpel development in model plants, as well as exploring early divergent species.
LAB MANAGER/ LAB TECH