6th Internacional Conference on Food Bioactives & Health

Dr. María-Teresa García-Conesa has developed a substantial part of her work in the area of characterization, metabolism and beneficial health effects of plant derived bioactive compounds. The first part of her work was carried out at the Institute of Food Research (Norwich, UK) where she attained her Ph.D. on Biology by the University of East Anglia (2000). She has been a Tenured Scientist at CEBAS-CSIC (Murcia, Spain) since 2005 where she focussed on the molecular processes associated to the benefits of bioactive compounds and derived metabolites as well as on the understanding of the human responses to the intake of these compounds and inter-individual variability. This work has been conducted under the frame of regionally and nationally funded projects and European collaborative networks (COST Action FA1403 POSITIVe, 2014-2018) which has led to more than 100 publications and communications (H-index 57). She has also been actively involved in projects related to the Mediterranean Diet and its association with health and wellbeing (MeDiWeb, 2019-2021). Recently she coordinated the ERASMUS European project GOODFOOD: Education to become responsible food consumers directed to secondary school teachers and students to promote sustainable and healthy eating behaviour. Recognised by the University of Stanford, in collaboration with Elsevier, in the ‘Ranking of the World Scientists: World’s Top 2% Scientists’ in the area of Nutrition and Diet (2025).

Silvia Navarro Orcajada is a Postdoctoral Researcher at CEBAS-CSIC (Murcia, Spain). She completed her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the University of Murcia in 2024. Her research focuses on the synthesis, characterisation, encapsulation, and biological activity of bioactive compounds, particularly stilbenes and other phenolic compounds. Her work aims to investigate the in vivo bioactivity and metabolism of these molecules, as well as to develop novel strategies to overcome their current limitations, thereby enhancing their potential applications in the food, pharmacological, and cosmetic industries. She has co-authored over 15 high-impact publications and actively participates in knowledge-transfer and outreach activities, fostering collaboration between academia and industry.

Dr. María Ángeles Ávila-Gálvez is a Tenured Scientist at the Food & Health Lab, CEBAS-CSIC (Murcia, Spain). She holds degrees in Pharmacy and Human Nutrition and Dietetics, and obtained her PhD in Food Technology, Nutrition, and Food Science (with honors) from the University of Murcia in 2020. Her research focuses on understanding the metabolism, bioavailability, and biological effects of dietary polyphenols and other bioactive compounds, integrating metabolomic, cellular, and in vivo approaches. She explores how these compounds and their physiollogical metabolites modulate processes involved in chronic diseases and pathologies. Dr. Ávila-Gálvez has authored 41 papers in high-impact international journals (H-index: 16) and participated in over 20 national and international research projects, as well as in several industry-funded contracts, some of them as Principal Investigator. Her work contributes to advancing precision nutrition and translational health research.

Lucía Vázquez is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Spanish National Research Council (CEBAS-CSIC, Murcia, Spain). She received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology (2013) from the University of Oviedo and a Master’s degree in Advanced Microbiology (2014) from the University of Barcelona. She obtained her Ph.D. in Microbiology with honors (2020, Extraordinary Doctorate Award) from the University of Oviedo, where she investigated the metabolism of isoflavones and the formation of equol by gut bacteria at IPLA-CSIC. Her current research focuses on plant-based fermented foods and their interaction with the gut microbiota, combining microbiological and metabolomic approaches to explore microbial dynamics and bioactive compound production.

Dr. Juan A. Giménez Bastida is currently a Tenured Scientist at CEBAS-CSIC. He holds a PhD in Food Science and Technology and carried out his doctoral research in the Department of Food Science and Technology at that institution between 2008 and 2012. Subsequently, he spent five years working as a postdoctoral reseacher—first in the Department of Food Chemistry and Biodynamics (Olsztyn, Poland), and later in the Department of Clinical Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN, USA), where he continued his studies on the beneficial effects associated with the consumption of plant-based foods. In 2018, he returned to CEBAS-CSIC, where he has developed his scientific career to the present day thanks to programs funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (Juan de la Cierva, Ramón y Cajal), the CSIC (MSCA-ERC program), and the European Commission (MSCA fellowship). His research interest focuses on two different groups of molecules, namely (poly)phenols and eicosanoids, and the study of how the interaction of these two families of compounds impacts on human health. Specifically, in recent years, his projects have been focused on the study of the effects of (poly)phenol consumption on vascular health – using cellular and animal models – and their capacity to modulate eicosanoids biosynthesis, as well as the investigation of unprecedented mechanisms by which (poly)phenols may exert their beneficial effects.

Carlos J. Garcia is a Ramon and Cajal researcher at CEBAS-CSIC (Murcia, Spain). He obtained his Ph.D. in Nutrition, Bromatology, and Food Science and Technology with honors in 2019. He is food scientist specializing in untargeted metabolomics and its applications in phytochemicals, nutrition and health. His main research line focuses on the modulation of gut microbiota and bile acid metabolism by phytochemicals to address metabolic syndrome. He has published his research in SCI journals, including first and corresponding author, with over 70% appearing in Q1-ranked journals (0000-0002-5813-092X). His publications have garnered hundreds of citations, underscoring their significant impact.