Profile

After performing a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Bachelor at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and a Master Degree in Advanced Genetics at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), I worked as a research assistant in the field of Parkinson research at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB). Thereafter, I got interested on microbiome studies, leading to my current position as a PhD student (Basque Government PhD student grant) at the Genetic Department of the UPV/EHU. Under the supervision of both Dr. Andone Estonba and Dr. Iratxe Zarraonaindia, I am working on bacterial and fungal microbiome characterization of the Apis mellifera hive system, with special focus in worker honey bee gut microbiome. Entitled “Identification of microbial profiles to promote colony health: towards the reduction of chemical residues in Apiculture”, my thesis aims to identify and characterize the microbial taxonomic and functional diversity of honey bee hive, by using metabarcoding, metatranscriptomics and culture-based methods. Thus, enabling the identification of profiles that harbour symbiotic properties beneficial for honeybee health.