B.Sc. in Biotechnology; Ph.D. in Cellular Mechanosensing. Double-awardee of the Schmidt Science Fellowship and the Ellis Fellowship for postdoctoral research in Cellular Metabolism and Aging at the University of Sydney. Certified rock climbing instructor by the ACIA.
Maria Lastra Cagigas is a cellular and molecular biologist investigating how cells adapt to their environment at the microscopic level. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology from the University of León, Spain (2016), and a Ph.D. in Cellular Mechanosensing from UNSW Sydney, Australia (2021), where she identified a key mechanism underlying the spreading of cancer cells. She is currently a Research Fellow at the University of Sydney, supported by both the Schmidt Science Fellowship (2022) and the Ellis Fellowship (2025), and has been recognised by the Australian Government as a Global Talent in Health Research. An international speaker, author, mentor, and ambassador backed by over $1 million in competitive funding, her research harnesses cellular metabolic plasticity to prevent disease, enhance cancer therapies, and extend healthspan – on Earth and in space. Passionate about nature, she is also a certified rock climbing instructor accredited by the ACIA and feels most at home in the mountains.
