Education and Positions

• Dean Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Valencia, 2024.
• Visiting Professor, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), 2022.
• Professor, University of Valencia, 2011-present.
• Visiting Associate Professor, Texas A&M University (TAMU), 2009.
• Associate Professor, University of Valencia, 1999-2011.
• Research Associate Professor, University of Valencia, 1998-1999.
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Stockholm University, 1995-1997.
• Research Visitor, Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, San Diego, 1994.
• Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Valencia, 1994.
• B.Sc. in Biology, University of Valencia, 1989.

Research Interests

Membrane protein insertion and assembly; apoptosis; viral membrane proteins.

Funding

Principal Investigator: 8 grants from the ‘Plan Estatal de investigación’ (Spanish Ministry); 3 grants ‘Grupos de Excelencia Prometeo’ (Generalitat Valenciana); 2 industry grants (Dentaid S.L.).

Advisor

Of 13 PhD Thesis, 5 of them Best Doctorate Award (‘Premio Extraordinario’) University of Valencia.

Honors and Awards

• Spanish Biophysical Society “Manuel Rico - Bruker” Award, 2022.
  "For his solid and recognized research career devoted to understanding the mechanisms of biogenesis, folding, and insertion of membrane proteins. For his efforts to integrate different disciplines within biophysics, and for his commitment to the development of biophysics in our country.”
• Fundación SALVAT Inquifarma Award, 2000.
• EMBO Long Term Postdoctoral Fellowship 1995-97.

Carmen Agustín Pavón was born in Valencia in 1980. She graduated in Biology in 2003 with Honours (Premio Extraordinario de Licenciatura), at the University of Valencia. She earned her PhD in 2008 in the same University, with a thesis about the neurochemistry of pheromone-guided sociosexual behaviours. Her thesis was granted the Best PhD Thesis Award (Premio Extraordinario de Doctorado). She completed her pre-doctoral training with a short stay at Università di Roma La Sapienza (Sep-Dec 2006).

After her PhD, she was hired as Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Cambridge (Jan 2009- Oct 2010), where she investigated the emotional regulation in non-human primates, with a focus on the role of the prefrontal cortex. She then moved to the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona (Nov 2011- Dec 2013) as Senior Postdoctoral Researcher to work in a team developing gene therapy for Huntington’s disease. She also collaborated with other projects dealing with animal models for neurological diseases. One of these projects resulted in a paper published in Nature Medicine, which received the Award for the Best Scientific Paper from Fundación Esteve in 2013. She moved with this team to Imperial College London (Jan 2014 – Sep 2014). In October 2014, she earned a Researcher Position at University Jaume I of Castellón, where she became Lecturer at the Medical Degree in September 2015. In October 2016, she came back to University of Valencia as Lecturer. Her lab is interested in the neurobiology of social behaviour, olfactory system and Rett syndrome. 

In addition to her research activity, Carmen is devoted to science communication. She won in 2011 the El·lipse Award for Scientific Communication (Parc de...

Mar Ferrer Suay has a degree in Biology from the University of Valencia (2004-2009). She obtained a PhD in Biodiversity from the University of Barcelona with International Mention (2010-2014). She has completed three Master's degrees: in Biodiversity: conservation and evolution (2009-2010, UV), in Pest Control and Management (2015, UV) and in Secondary Education Teaching (2018-2019, UV). She was a postdoctoral researcher at the “American Museum of Natural History” (2016, New York, USA) and Juan de la Cierva-Formación at the University of Valencia (2016-2018).

She is specialist of the Charipinae subfamily, small wasps that act as hyperparasitoids of aphids and cause serious problems in biological control programs. She has completed eight predoctoral stays. She has described more than 50 species new to science and established a multitude of trophic relationships. She currently has a recognized six-year period of research and is PI of a Project of the Generalitat Valenciana focused on the use of molecular markers to define the limits between species and resolve the phylogeny of the group.

She teaches in the Biology Degree and in the Master of Biodiversity: Conservation and Evolution, of which she is also a member of the Academic Commission. She is also co-director of the Master's Degree in Pest Control and Management. She participates in activities such as BioGrau, External Practices, Biology Olympiads, Motivem and Projecte Natura.

Dr. García-Murria is a specialist in protein biochemistry with extensive interdisciplinary experience in biochemistry, molecular biology, proteomics, cell biology, and microbiology. She completed her doctoral thesis in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Valencia, during which she conducted two research stays at the Uppsala Biomedical Center of Uppsala University. Subsequently, she held a four-year postdoctoral position in the Proteomics Service at the Prince Felipe Research Center of Valencia. Upon returning to the University of Valencia, she initially worked in the area of Plant Molecular Biology and eventually joined the Membrane Proteins Laboratory in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. She currently conducts her research activities focusing on the biogenesis, insertion, folding, and assembly of membrane proteins in the lipid membrane, as well as the role of transmembrane segments of human or viral proteins in apoptotic processes.

In the academic field, has been involved in university teaching since her thesis. She achieved the highest rating of excellence, scoring (200/200), in both the teaching quality evaluations as university professor, conducted from (2002-2018) and (2019-2023) by the National Agency for Evaluation and Acreditation (ANECA). Every year, she participates in several courses to improve her professional skills and teaching abilities. Since 2016, she has participated in the Motivem ideas competition, aimed at enhancing student employability through the motivating action of the teaching staff. Additionally, she is the president of the Biotechnology Undergraduate Thesis Committee and currently serves as the Secretary of the Faculty of Biological Sciences at the University of...