Tomas Marques-Bonet, Ph.D.

Tomas Marques-Bonet is an ICREA and Full Professor of Genetics at the University of Pompeu Fabra in Spain. From 2016 to 2020, Tomas served as the director of the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC). At the heart of his research lies a passion for understanding human and non-human primate evolution combining different areas of conservation, evolutionary and comparative genomics and biomedicine. His lab is investigating genomes and genomic variation in living primates and other mammals, including extinct species. Furthermore, Tomas and his team explore the evolution of gene regulation through comparative genomics. He serves as the coordinator of research at the Barcelona Zoo and is also the director of the Cryozoo, an essential infrastructure within the Barcelona Zoo Foundation. The Cryozoo’s mission is to create and preserve cell lines and induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSc) of endangered species, contributing to the preservation of biodiversity and the protection of vulnerable animal populations. His recent work has been funded by the European Research Council, the EU H2020 actions, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Spanish National Research System.