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Dr Lorena Morales awarded Marie Curie Postdoctoral Individual Fellowship

29 Mar 2024

Congratulations to Dr Lorena Morales, Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, who has recently been awarded a Marie SkÅ‚odowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Individual Fellowship. The Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships targets researchers holding a PhD who wish to carry out their research activities abroad, acquire new skills and develop their careers, and to enable postdoctoral researchers to gain experience in other countries, disciplines, and non-academic sectors.

Dr Morales’ research career has focused on the study of the neurodevelopment of the hypothalamus and amygdala in vertebrates. From Madrid, Dr Morales began her third level studies with a BSc in Biology and continued with a MSc in Neuroscience in the Complutense ÉîÒ¹ÑÇÖÞ¸£Àû¾Ã¾Ã of Madrid (UCM). Lorena says that it was there that her love of research blossomed. As a very young student her talent and enthusiasm was spotted by Dr Jesús López who offered her an internship in Professor Agustín González’s laboratory. Following completion of her masters, Lorena completed her doctoral studies with Professor Loreta Medina in the ÉîÒ¹ÑÇÖÞ¸£Àû¾Ã¾Ã of Lleida (UdL).

Dr Morales joined the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience in January 2023 to take up a postdoctoral position with Dr María Rodríguez Aburto. Shortly after arriving in UCC, Lorena obtained an INSPIRE MSCA Fellowship in May 2023. Supported and mentored by Dr Aburto, Lorena has recently obtained a MSCA Postdoctoral Individual Fellowship to study the effect of the perinatal microbiota in the early postnatal development of the hypothalamus and the amygdala using a model of C-Section. Lorena says that the MSCA fellowship will ‘allow me to apply my knowledge of these two brain regions to more translational research by understanding the impact of this life-saving surgery on the early postnatal brain. My work aims to advance the development of microbiota-based therapies to prevent potential negative outcomes in C-section-born infants.'

Lorena says that she is enjoying living in Cork and is delighted that the MSCA award has given her enormous opportunities to develop her independence and career. Lorena says ‘when I am not doing research, I love to enjoy the city and its cultural offerings, and also to get out and enjoy the countryside and all that it has to offerr'.

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ÉîÒ¹ÑÇÖÞ¸£Àû¾Ã¾Ã item and Photograph Bereniece Riedewald