BSc Biochemistry, MSc Neuroscience
During my time in the Connectomics group, I collaborated with the Sexual Dimorphism team. In Drosophila melanogaster, the male pheromone 11-cis-vaccenyl acetate (cVA) evokes sexually dimorphic behaviours, stimulating courtship in females while eliciting aggression in males. It has previously been shown that this arises from anatomical and molecular differences between the sexes in various neuronal populations. Using an electron microscopy volume of an entire female fly brain, my work consisted of reconstructing at synaptic resolution the neuronal circuits involved in cVA processing, in order to elucidate how pheromone information is transmitted through the brain, and the manner in which it effectuates behaviour.
Before joining the group, my background was completely neurobiological. However, over my two (on and off) years of working in the group, I gained significant experience in computer science and neural circuit analysis, both extremely useful tools for my ongoing research. I’m currently doing my PhD under the supervision of Marta Nieto, at the National Center of Biotechnology in Madrid (Spain), investigating the formation of cortical circuits of the upper layers in mammals.