Biography
Marisa studied biochemistry at the University of Buenos Aires, obtained an MSc at the Weizmann Institute of Science followed by her PhD in Biological Chemistry under the supervision of Prof Alex Levitzki, at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She undertook postdoctoral studies at the Scripps Research Institute with Prof Steven Reed as an EMBO and HFSP fellow. She started her group at the Department of Genetics in 2001 with a university lectureship.
Research Interests
By combining genetics, biochemistry and live cell imaging. her group explores the molecular mechanisms at the interface between cell cycle controls, mitotic spindle morphogenesis and cell polarity in the context of cells dividing asymmetrically. These mechanisms govern accurate spindle position and chromosomal segregation on the basis of a programme that couples spindle pole age with differential fate. Importantly, this programme exhibits remarkable correspondence between unicellular models such as budding yeast and animal stem cells.
Research Group Links