Francesc Cebria Sanchez

Francesc Cebria Sanchez is a Professor at the Faculty of Biology of the University of Barcelona, where he has been a Principal Investigator since 2008. His academic career spans roles as Vice-Dean of Quality, Innovation, and Professionalization (2019-2023) and coordinator of the Faculty Training IDP. His research focuses on planarian regeneration, particularly the molecular pathways governing stem cell (neoblast) differentiation and homeostasis.

• Degree in Biology, University of Barcelona (1995)
• PhD in Biology, University of Barcelona (2000)

Research interests center on epigenetic regulation of neoblast differentiation and the role of the EGFR pathway in tissue-specific progenitor specification. His work explores histone modifications via CBP/p300 proteins and EGFR-mediated gut/eye progenitor differentiation, positioning planarians as a model for in vivo stem cell and regeneration studies.

Scientific awards include the 'Homines dum docent' distinction for teaching excellence at the Faculty of Biology (2014-2018).

• Advising: Mentored numerous PhD, Master’s, and undergraduate students, including Susanna Fraguas (postdoctoral researcher) and Mª Dolores Molina (PhD student).
• Grants: Secured funding from Spain’s Ministry of Science (PID2021-126958NB-I00), University of Barcelona (2020RIMDA-BIO/001), and AGAUR (2021SGR00293).

Labs/teams: Leads the REGnetREG research group at the University of Barcelona’s Department of Genetics, focusing on planarian regeneration. Collaborated with institutions like Universidad Nacional de Salta and experts in Japan and the U.S.