Affiliation: University of Cologne, CECAD Research Center, Membrane Biophysics Laboratory, Cologne, Germany

Dr. Ros is a Staff Scientist in the Membrane Biophysics Laboratory, CECAD, at University of Cologne. Her research interests lie in membrane biophysics and cell death. She received her bachelor’s degree in 2004 followed by her master’s degree in 2007 in Biochemistry at the University of Havana, Cuba, and her PhD in Biology in the year 2012 from the same University. Her doctoral work focused on investigating the structure and function of synthetic peptides derived from actinoporins, pore-forming toxins isolated from Sea Anemones. After her PhD, she became permanent member of the professor staff at the University of Havana. She was a fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation vising the Membrane Biophysics lab of the Interfaculty Institute of Biochemistry Tubingen (2015-2018), where she continued her Post-Doctoral Fellowship until 2019. During this time, she mostly focused on investigating the plasma membrane and cellular alterations that mediate necroptosis, a new type of regulated cell death. She combines membrane biophysics with biochemistry, structural and cell biology to understand the function and regulation of MLKL, the main player in necroptosis execution. She identified that pore formation is a core mechanism in necroptosis, which is linked to the activation of calcium fluxes. Her research is now focused on the downstream consequences of this process.