Mónica Vara Pére

Born and raised in Zamora (Spain), Monica holds a BSc. degree in Biotechnology from the University of Salamanca (Spain) and an MSc. degree in Molecular Medicine from the ErasmusMC (Rotterdam, NL). During her PhD at VIB-KU Leuven (Belgium), she shed some light on the complex role of the BH3-only protein BNIP3 in melanoma progression. As a postdoctoral researcher in the group of Prof. Movahedi, Mónica is currently exploring the unconventional relationship between stress, brain immunology and cancer. Moreover, as a vocational scientist, Mónica is convinced that research passion and science communication are two sides of the same coin and thus, she is actively involved in several SciComm initiatives in Belgium.

Personal quote: “A scientist in her laboratory is not a mere technician: she is also a child confronting natural phenomena that impress her as though they were fairy tales.” Marie Skłodowska-Curie.