LOURDES
MARCANO PRIETO

She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Physics from the University of Oviedo in 2013 and completed a Master’s degree in New Materials at the University of the Basque Country – University of Cantabria in 2014. She subsequently pursued her doctoral studies at the University of the Basque Country with a thesis entitled “Magnetic and structural characterization of magnetite nanoparticles synthesized by magnetotactic bacteria”, earning her PhD on October 29, 2018, with the highest distinction (suma cum laude) and international mention. In 2019, she moved to Berlin (Germany) to join the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB) as a postdoctoral researcher, where she worked on the characterization of unconventional magnetic nanostructures for biomedical applications using large-scale facilities. Between 2023 and 2025, she carried out a postdoctoral stay at CIC biomaGUNE (San Sebastián) with an MSCA fellowship under the ProteNano-MAG project, focused on developing bioinspired synthesis routes for magnetic nanoparticles through protein engineering. Since 2021, she has been a assistant professor and researcher in the Applied Physics area of the Department of Physics at the University of Oviedo. Her research focuses on nanomagnetism, the study of physical mechanisms at the nanoscale, the use of large-scale research infrastructures, and the application of nanoparticle-based magnetic systems in biomedicine. At the University of Oviedo, she has led several research projects, including: NanoTher-MAG (Knowledge Generation Grants, Spanish State Research Agency, €75k, 2024–2026), aimed at studying model magnetic nanomaterials for cancer thermal therapies. BioMAGteriales (Comienza Grant, University of Oviedo Internal Program, €10k, 2023–2024), focused on exploring chemical and biological synthesis routes for the design of magnetic nanoparticles for medical applications. nano-roBIOts (Leonardo Grant for Young Researchers and Cultural Creators, BBVA Foundation, €37k, 2022–2025), dedicated to the design and characterization of biologically derived magnetic nanorobots for medical use. Her research is highly multidisciplinary, combining materials science, nanomagnetism, microbiology, and molecular biology, always with an applied focus toward advancing medical therapies and treatments. She is a frequent user of European synchrotron and neutron facilities and actively participates in science outreach activities as well as initiatives that promote the visibility of women in science.