Our Team
Our group is integrated by Professors and researchers from two different Universities: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), and Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC).
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Campus de Chamartín
Facultad de Medicina.
Departamento de Farmacología y Terapeútica.
Ana Briones
Head of the group - UAM
Graduated and PhD in Pharmacy (UCM). She performed her PhD studies at UAM and completed her predoctoral and postdoctoral training at the University of Glasgow, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (Spain) and Universities of Montreal and Ottawa (Canada). In 2010 she was awarded with a Ramón y Cajal contract and currently she is Associate Professor at the Pharmacology Department, UAM. Ana is member of national and international cardiovascular networks, Executive Committees and of the Editorial Board of different journals. Ana has been funded by national and international grants and participates in different evaluation committees.
Mercedes Salaices
Head of the Group- UAM
PhD in Pharmacy and Full Professor of Pharmacology at the Faculty of Medicine (UAM), Mercedes has been the leader of the group for more than 30 years. She has supervised 21 doctoral thesis, she is referee in numerous journals and participates as evaluator of national and international organizations. She has been vice chancellor of the Faculty (1995-1999) and became Full member of the Royal National Academy of Pharmacy since 2017. She has been IP of 21 Projects and published more than 200 publications in SCI journals.
Ana García
Assistant Professor Doctor - UAM
Graduated in Biochemistry (2003, UAM), PhD in Pharmacology (2009, UAM) and Specialized in Bioinformatic Analysis (Universidad Pablo Olavide de Sevilla). She was awarded with Sara Borrel fellowship to complete her postdoctoral training (Fundación Jiménez Diaz). After a postdoctoral internship in CNIC, she obtained a position as Assistant Professor Doctor in the Department of Physiology (2019, UAM), where she combines teaching and research. She has published more than 30 articles, and participated in more than 20 projects. She has been co-director of 1 Doctoral Thesis, and more than 10 Master’s and BSc Thesis.
Raquel Rodrigues
UAM
Graduated in Biology (UCM) and Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biomedicine (2012, UAM). She performed her PhD studies in the laboratory of Cellular Biology in Renal Diseases and Hypertension at Fundación Jiménez Díaz. She has 15 years of research experience and more than 40 publications in renowned journals. She achieved three competitive postdoctoral grants: ERA-EDTA (2013, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Bergamo, Italy); Sara Borrell (2016) and Juan de la Cierva (2019), to join our group. She has co-directed three master’s Theses and one End-of-degree work.
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Javier Blanco Rivero
Associate Professor - UAM
Graduated in Biology (UAM) and PhD in Physiology (2006, UAM). Postdoctoral stayings in the Cardiovascular Research Center (Barcelona), and in Universidad Autónoma and Complutense of Madrid, where he achieved several competitive postdoctoral grants, including Sara Borrell and Juan de la Cierva grants. Currently, he is an associate professor at the department of Physiology at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, implicated in several Basic and Optative Subjects from the Medicine, Nursery, Human Nutrition and Dietetics, and Biomedical Engineering. He has 20 years of research experience, and more than 50 publications in renowned journals.
Raquel González Blázquez
Postdoctoral Researcher - UAM
Doctor of Pharmacy from the San Pablo-CEU University. She has made two national stays. She has published 10 research articles and participated in more than 10 national or international Congresses. She has been a PhD Collaborating Professor of the Department of Pharmacology of the Faculty of Pharmacy (CEU San Pablo University). She is accredited by ANECA. Currently, she holds a Margarita Salas contract at UAM.
Constanza Ballesteros Martínez
Postdoctoral Researcher - UAM
Graduated in Biology (UCM, 2015), with a Master in Immunology Research (UCM, 2016). She made cardiovascular research internships in different centers (National Centre of Tropical Medicine, CNIC and Hospital Fundación Jimenez Diaz). Since 2017, she is a PhD researcher at UAM lab. She performed a 3 months internship in the Hospital of Angers (France). She teaches practical classes in the Master of Pharmacological Research (UAM). To the moment, she has 5 publications and attended several congresses. She holds a PhD in Pharmacology and Physiology.
Lucía serrano Díaz del Campo
Postdoctoral Researcher - UAM
She obtained her Bachelor of Biology (UCM, 2014) and a Master Research in Biological Sciences (University of Manchester, 2015). She made immunology research internships (Hospital Universitario la Princesa, ISCIII). In 2017, she started her PhD research at the department of Pharmacology of University Autónoma de Madrid. She has completed an international internship in the Queen Mary University of London at Jesmond Dalli's lab. She teaches practical classes in the Master of Pharmacological Research (UAM). She has 1 publication and 1 review. She holds a PhD in Pharmacology and Physiology.
Abraham Merino
Predoctoral Researcher - UAM
He obtained his Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering (UC3M, 2019) and a Master on Research in Translational Medicine (UCM, 2020). Currently, he is working as a Research Assistant and has started his PhD research at the Department of Pharmacology of Universidad Autonoma de Madrid.
Julious Soudant
Predoctoral Researcher
Graduated from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK in 2021 with a BSc Honours degree in Pharmacology (2020) and a Master of Science by Research (MScR) in Biomedical Sciences with distinction. With a strong interest in cardiovascular pharmacology, he is performing his PhD studies within an International Training Network-European Joint Doctorate (Mindshift) as part of a joint program with University of Glasgow.
Naoual Boukich El Jouhari
Predoctoral Researcher - UAM
Graduated in Human Nutrition and Dietetics (UAM, 2020), she did a Master’s of Science in Pharmacological Research (UAM, 2021). She is currently working in hypertension and resolution of inflammation as PhD researcher at the department of Pharmacology of University Autonoma de Madrid (2022, FPI fellowship).
Universidad Rey Juan Carlos de Madrid.
Campus de Alcorcón.
Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud.
Departamento de Ciencias Básicas de la Salud.
María Jesús Alonso
Full Professor - URJC
PhD in Pharmacy (UCM, Spain). She completed her postdoctoral training in Sandoz Laboratories (Basel). Since 2012, she is Full Professor in the area of Physiology at the Department of Basic Health Sciences (Faculty of Health Sciences, URJC). She has been Vice Dean of Research and Infrastructures of the Faculty of Health Sciences of the URJC (2011-2013) and head of the UCC+i of the URJC (2013-2021). IP of 11 Research projects and collaborator in 35; she is co-author of more than 100 articles and has supervised 8 doctoral thesis; is reviewer of numerous JCR journals and of several evaluation agencies.
Raquel Hernanz
Senior Lecturer - URJC
Graduated in Chemical Sciences (UAM, 1997), she obtained the title of Doctor in the Area of Pharmacology and Therapeutics (2002, UAM). Currently, she is Senior Lecturer in the Area of Physiology at the URJC. Her research career has been mainly dedicated to the study of vascular inflammation and its participation in hypertension. She is author of 30 scientific publications and has been the principal investigator of a project funded by the URJC-CAM. She has made stays at the University of Aarhus (Denmark) and at the University of Espíritu Santo (Brazil). She has directed several End-of-Degree projects and 2 doctoral theses.
Maite Barrús
Associate Professor- URJC
Proffesor in Human Physiology Area from the Deparment of Health Basic Sciences. Degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (UAM 1987). PhD in Human Physiology (UAM). Postdoctoral stays in the University of Amsterdam (1992), University of Indiana (Indianapolis, 1995) and Espíritu Santo Federal University (UFES), Vitoria, Brasil (2016). Member of European Council for Cardiovascular Research. Participated in 20 research proyects (hypertension; ageing; insulin resistance).
Ángela Martínez Cortés
Assistant Professor - URJC
Graduated in Biological Sciences, specialization in biochemistry and molecular biology (2001, UAM). She joined the Ramon y Cajal Hospital in 2002 to carry out for 3 years basic research in a virology laboratory, funded by public and private scholarships. PhD from the Rey Juan Carlos University (2011, URJC), she continued her postdoctoral studies at the Clinical Sciences Research Laboratory of Warwick Medical School (2012, Coventry, United Kingdom). Currently, she is Assistant Professor at URJC. She has participated in more than 20 projects, being PI of one of them. She has co-directed 1 doctoral thesis.
Marta Martínez Casales
Predoctoral Researcher - URJC
Graduated in Biochemistry (University of Murcia, 2014) with a Master in Pharmacological Research (University Autónoma de Madrid, 2016). In 2017, she started her PhD research in the department of Basic Health Sciences in the faculty of Health Sciences of the Rey Juan Carlos University under the supervision of Dr. María Jesús Alonso. She has developed an internship in the department of Biomedicine in the Aarhus University (Denmark). She teaches practical classes in several health sciences degrees in Rey Juan Carlos University.
Zoe González Carnicero
Predoctoral Researcher - URJC
Graduated in Biology (UCM, 2016), with a master in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biomedicine (UCM, 2017). During her master´s degree she carried out research in the department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the Faculty of Biology of the UCM, which led to her first publication. Since 2018, she has been a PhD student in the laboratory of Dr. Maria Jesús Alonso Gordo (URJC) where she is working on her doctoral thesis.