Faculty
FACULTY
Joao Botelho
Joao Botelho is an Assistant Professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, whose research explores animal diversity through developmental, evolutionary, and paleontological perspectives. Educated in Brazil and Chile, with postdoctoral training in New Zealand and the United States, he studies how musculoskeletal, vascular, and neural systems interact during development. Using chicken embryos and comparative animal models, his work examines the origins of biological diversity across vertebrate species.
Francisca Bronfman
Francisca Bronfman is a neuroscientist at UNAB, whose research focuses on neuronal survival and plasticity. After completing doctoral training in Belgium on Alzheimer’s disease models and postdoctoral work in Israel on neurotrophin signalling, she became a professor in Chile. Her laboratory investigates the cellular and molecular pathways regulating nervous system maintenance and function.
Fernando Bustos
Fernando Bustos is a bioengineer and neuroscientist at UNAB, Chile, investigating the molecular basis of autism spectrum disorders and brain plasticity. After doctoral work in epigenetics and postdoctoral training at MIT with Martha Constantine-Paton and Feng Zhang, he returned to Chile to establish the NeuroEditing-Lab. His research combines neurobiology and genome engineering approaches to study neural function and disease.
John Ewer
John Ewer is a professor at Universidad de Valparaiso, Chile, whose research examines how neuropeptides regulate behaviour and physiology in Drosophila melanogaster. He focuses on ecdysis, the critical process by which insects shed their old cuticle during development. Using molecular and genetic approaches, his work explores the neural mechanisms underlying this essential survival behaviour in insects.
Vilaiwan Fernandes
Vilaiwan Fernandes is a developmental neurobiologist at University College London, UK, whose laboratory studies the Drosophila visual system to uncover principles of brain development and neuronal reprogramming. After completing her PhD in Canada and postdoctoral training in the United States, she established a research program exploring neural circuit formation and plasticity. She is also recognised for mentoring and scientific outreach.
Corinne Houart
Corinne Houart is a professor at King’s College London, UK, renowned for discoveries in forebrain development and neural regionalisation. Her groundbreaking work demonstrated that forebrain specification occurs at the neural plate stage, reshaping understanding of vertebrate brain development. Her laboratory uses zebrafish models to investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms driving forebrain formation and regionalisation.
Jeff Lichtman
Jeff Lichtman is the Jeremy R. Knowles Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University. His research investigates how neural circuits are remodeled by experience, particularly during early development. He pioneered technologies such as Brainbow mice and advanced electron microscopy methods to map brain connectivity, aiming to understand how information is stored within neural networks.
Roberto Mayor
Roberto Mayor is a professor at University College London, UK, studying neural crest development in zebrafish and Xenopus embryos. His research investigates how neural crest cells acquire identity, migrate, and differentiate during embryogenesis. An internationally recognised developmental biologist, he has received major scientific distinctions and founded the Latin American Society of Developmental Biology.
Caren Norden
Caren Norden is a developmental biologist at the University of Cambridge, UK, studying organ formation using the retina as a model system. Her research combines advanced imaging and quantitative analysis to uncover how cellular and tissue rearrangements shape the vertebrate eye. Formerly leading internationally recognised laboratories in Dresden and Lisbon, she has made major contributions to understanding retinal morphogenesis across developmental stages.
Felipe Opazo
Felipe Opazo is a researcher at Gottingen University, developing molecular tools to study the nano-anatomy of neurons and other biological systems. His work focuses on creating aptamers and nanobodies to detect and quantify proteins in living and fixed cells. Using advanced nanoscopy techniques such as STED, STORM, DNA-PAINT, and nanoSIMS, he investigates molecular organisation with exceptional precision.
Nipam Patel
Nipam Patel is Director of the Marine Biological Laboratory and Professor at the University of Chicago. A Princeton and Stanford graduate, he is internationally recognised for studying the evolution of developmental mechanisms, particularly genes regulating segmentation and body patterning. His research compares insects and crustaceans to understand how embryonic pattern formation evolves across species.
Marcos Simoes-Costas
Marcos Simoes-Costas is an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, specialising in developmental and systems biology. After earning his PhD at the University of São Paulo and completing postdoctoral training at Caltech, he established his laboratory to investigate gene regulatory networks during embryonic development. His research focuses on how spatial control of gene expression shapes cell differentiation and tissue organisation.
Paula Slater
Paula Slater is an Assistant Professor at Universidad San Sebastián, Chile, studying neuronal development and regeneration using the Xenopus laevis model. Trained in biochemistry and cellular biology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, she completed postdoctoral research in Boston and Chile on axonal guidance and spinal cord regeneration. Her work investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying nervous system development and repair.
Elli Tanaka
Elli Tanaka is a leading biochemist and Scientific Director at IMBA in Vienna. Internationally recognised for pioneering work on limb and spinal cord regeneration in axolotl salamanders, her research investigates how vertebrates regenerate tissues. Her long-term goal is to apply these regenerative principles to improve tissue repair and regeneration in mammals.
Juan Carlos Tapia
Juan Carlos Tapia is a research associate at Harvard University’s Center for Brain Science, working in the laboratory of Jeff Lichtman. Trained in biochemistry and neuroscience in Chile, his research focuses on molecular and cellular approaches to understanding neural circuitry and brain organisation using advanced imaging and connectomics methodologies.
Leonardo Valdivia
Leonardo Valdivia is an Associate Professor at Universidad Mayor and a member of the Centre of Integrative Biology in Chile. Trained in Biology and Neurosciences at the University of Chile, he also completed postdoctoral research at University College London. His work focuses on the genetic regulation of tissue growth and differentiation in the zebrafish eye, contributing to our understanding of developmental biology and vision formation.
Lorena Varela-Nallar
Lorena Varela-Nallar is a biochemist and professor at UNAB studying neurogenesis and synaptogenesis in the adult hippocampus. Following doctoral and postdoctoral training in Chile, she established an independent research group focused on signalling pathways regulating neural development and neuronal plasticity. Her work contributes to understanding brain function and regeneration.
Claire Wyart
Claire Wyart is a neuroscientist at the Paris Brain Institute whose research combines genetics, physiology, biophysics, and behaviour to study spinal cord development and locomotion. Following doctoral work in biophysics and neuroscience and postdoctoral training at UC Berkeley, she pioneered optogenetic techniques to remotely control neuronal activity in vivo. Her work investigates how sensory inputs shape spinal cord function and homeostasis.
