Mara Dierssen

She holds a PhD in Neurobiology from the University of Cantabria and is Research Director at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona. Her main area of research focuses on how the brain produces the behavior specific to each individual. In particular, she specializes in Down syndrome, conducting world-leading research into the genetic basis of intellectual disability.

She has received numerous awards in recognition of her research career, including the National Award for Scientific Thought and Culture, granted by the Government of Catalonia in 2008, as well as the Jaime Blanco and Sisley Lejeune Awards for her research on Down syndrome.

She has also been recognized for her work in science communication, which she carries out through lectures and publications such as El cerebro artístico. La creatividad desde la neurociencia (Sackleton, 2018). She served as President of the Spanish Society for Neuroscience (2013–2015), the Spanish Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Spanish Brain Council. She is a member of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Catalonia, has received the Silver Medal from the College of Physicians, and is a member of Academia Europaea, which brings together leading scientists and academics from across Europe.