María de Toro

I am a chemist with a PhD in Biochemistry and a specialization in bioinformatics and clinical genetics. My professional journey began at the University of Cantabria, where I joined the European project PLASWIRES, immersing myself in bioinformatics and specializing in genomic and metagenomic analysis of bacterial communities.

Since 2016, I have been leading the Genomics and Bioinformatics Platform at CIBIR, where I combine my expertise in bioinformatics, machine learning and clinical genomics with managing a core facility. I currently serve as a board member (vocal) of the Clinical Bioinformatics Working Group within the Spanish Society of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (SEBiBC).

Throughout my career, I have participated in more than 20 national and international projects, focusing on the role of mobile genetic elements in antibiotic resistance, pathogen monitoring using NGS, and the application of sequencing techniques to viticulture and food safety. I am currently involved in projects such as Eco2Wine (developing sustainable winemaking practices), CRINGENES (improving neonatal screening for rare diseases) and RELECOV 2.0 (a network for monitoring respiratory pathogens using whole-genome sequencing).

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I led SARS-CoV-2 sequencing efforts in La Rioja, transforming our platform into a regional reference node for pathogen sequencing. Beyond research, I have taught as a professor in the Bioinformatics Master's programme at VIU and supervised master's theses. I am also passionate about science communication, taking part in initiatives like Pint of Science and organizing workshops on genomics and bioinformatics.