Dr Maria Angeles Juanes is Honorary Fellow at Teesside University (TU). Previously she has been Senior Lecturer of Biomedical Science in the School of Health & Life Sciences at TU. Dr Juanes has extensively published her work in the field of the cytoskeleton, cell division and polarity, cell adhesion and migration; presented in prestigious conferences, established collaborations worldwide, and mentored a number of undergraduate, postgraduate students and junior staff. She has a broad expertise in cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, proteomics, and in particular in live-cell imaging. She has used several model systems such as single molecules in vitro, budding yeast and human cell lines. 

She studied Pharmacy, as a degree at Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Valencia in Spain. Then, she continued her PhD in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department at Faculty of Biology, University of Valencia, under the supervision of Prof Bano and Dr Igual. Her PhD thesis focused on Cell cycle and cytoskeleton dynamics during polarized division and growth in budding yeast.

Following the completion of her PhD, Dr. Juanes embarked on several postdoctoral research positions, and stages as a visitor scientist in Europe, Asia and the USA. In 2008, she was awarded a ‘Ramon Areces fellowship’ and joined the group of Dr Segal at University of Cambridge, UK, where she investigated the formation and orientation of the mitotic spindle, inheritance and asymmetric fate of the centrosomes (yeast spindle pole bodies), and mechanisms that govern cortical capture of astral microtubules.

In 2010, she undertook her research in the group of Dr Piatti at the CRBM-CNRS in Montpellier, France. There she investigated the regulation of the phosphatase PP2A during budding yeast mitosis, and how several E3-ubiquitin ligases control cell polarity, cytokinesis and septin dynamics. She was awarded a ‘Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale (FRM) fellowship’ and ‘Merlion Fellowship from Institute Français’ to work as a visitor researcher in Dr Rancati lab, at the IMB A-Star in Singapore.

In 2015, she moved to Prof Goode's lab, at Brandeis University, USA. There, she furthered her expertise, from in vitro single-molecule TIRF assays to state-of-the-art imaging and functional studies in human cells. Inspired by her training as a yeast geneticist, she developed a strategic platform to explore the molecular basis for cytoskeletal crosstalk in cell adhesion and migration centered on the tumour suppressor Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (APC), gatekeeper of colorectal cancer and downregulator of the Wnt-β-catenin pathway. She discovered that APC nucleates actin filaments in cells, and coordinates actin and microtubules at focal adhesions to direct cell migration. M. Angeles has established strong collaborations with several French institutions such as the Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie - Institut Paoli Calmettes, and Institut Fresnel - Université Saint Jérôme in Marseille (France), where she worked as a visitor scientist in 2018.

Dr Juanes has joined the Teesside University in February 2020. Her lab has moved at the CIPF in Spain, where she is Group Leader.

Dr Juanes' research interests are to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying cytoskeletal crosstalk during collective cell motility and cell division in the context of development with implications in diverse cancers. She investigates these questions across scales: from the most reductionist system using in vitro single molecule assays to most complex situations such as in human cell lines, tissues and organoids. 

-Member of the British Society for Cell Biology, BSCB.

-Member of the Spanish Society or Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, SEBBM.

-Member of the American Society for Cell Biology, ASCB.

-Member of the International Mentoring Foundation for the Advancement of Higher Education (IMHAFE), and mentor of the Biomedicine Program.

-Member of the Journal of Life Science (JoLS) and Executive Editor Board.

Dr Juanes is currently the module leader of the following modules spanning the Biomedical Science discipline: