Alejandra Tomas Catala

Dr. Alejandra Tomas Catala is an Associate Professor and Head of the Section of Cell Biology and Functional Genomics at the Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London. She leads research on receptor trafficking, particularly focusing on GLP-1 receptors in pancreatic beta cells and their role in metabolic regulation. She holds affiliations with the Membrane Receptor Network, Diabetes Network, and Signalling and Trafficking of Receptors in Metabolism Laboratory.

Education:

• PhD in Biochemistry, University College London (2003)
• Postdoctoral training at University of Geneva Medical School (Switzerland)

Research Focus: Spatiotemporal regulation of receptor signaling, insulin secretion mechanisms, cytoskeletal roles in exocytosis, and endocytic pathway dynamics. Her work integrates cell biology, functional genomics, and metabolic physiology to understand glucose homeostasis.

Awards:

• 2015 MRC New Investigator Research Grant to establish her independent research group at Imperial

Teaching & Leadership: Director of the MSc Applied Genomics course and Imperial's Membrane Receptor & Diabetes Networks of Excellence. Coordinates multidisciplinary teams advancing receptor biology and metabolic disease research.

Labs & Teams: Leads a lab investigating receptor trafficking's role in metabolic signaling, collaborating with networks spanning cell biology, endocrinology, and systems biology.