Dr. Laura Marcos-Zambrano is a bioanalyst specializing in metagenomics, bioinformatics, and clinical microbiology. She leads the host-microbiome interactions research line at the IMDEA Nutrition Institute and is an Associate Professor at Alfonso X el Sabio University. Her research focuses on gut microbiome disruption in diet-related diseases, with 45 indexed publications, an h-index of 20, and extensive experience supervising students and researchers.
Dr. Marcos-Zambrano holds a degree in Bioanalysis from the Central University of Venezuela (Academic Excellence Award, 2010) and a Master’s in Therapeutic Targets and Cell Signaling from the University of Alcalá (2012). She earned her PhD in Microbiology at the Complutense University of Madrid in 2017 (Cum Laude and Extraordinary Doctorate Award), supported by a fellowship from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (FI12/00265). She later obtained a Juan de la Cierva Incorporación Grant (IJC2019-042188-I) to join IMDEA Nutrition.
She has contributed to 12 competitive research projects, acting as Principal Investigator in three, including a Young Researcher Grant from ESCMID (€20,000), a Proof of Concept project funded by EIT Food (€50,000), and the ongoing GutPlantHealth project (PID2023-150146OA-I00; €158,750).
She actively promotes gender equality through initiatives such as 11Febrero and events like “Ciencia x Mujeres,” Madrid Science Week, and Researchers' Night. She has also contributed to public outreach through the development of the gut microbiome game #Bichindario, press releases, and radio interviews.