Miguel De Lucas Torres

Dr. Miguel De Lucas Torres is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biosciences at Durham University. His research focuses on chromatin dynamics during plant development, particularly how chromatin organization interacts with transcription factors to modulate gene expression in response to environmental and intrinsic signals. He has expertise in plant development, chromatin remodeling, cell differentiation, and light signaling. His work integrates gene regulatory networks (GRNs) with epigenetic mechanisms to understand developmental decisions such as cell proliferation and differentiation.

Education: PhD from the National Center of Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC) in Madrid under Prof. Salomé Prat, followed by postdoctoral training at UC Davis (USA) under Dr. Siobhan Brady, funded by EMBO and HFSP fellowships. His postdoctoral research explored GRNs in plant development and chromatin's role in cell-type specific gene expression.

Research Interests: Unraveling the interplay between chromatin structure and transcriptional regulation in plants. He employs next-generation sequencing, bioinformatics, and advanced cell biology techniques to study how chromatin dynamics control developmental processes like xylem differentiation, root architecture, and epigenetic regulation of flowering in citrus. Key areas include light signaling pathways, hormonal integration, and epigenetic mechanisms maintaining cellular identity.

Scientific Awards: Recipient of EMBO Fellowship and HFSP Fellowship during his postdoctoral career.

Advising & Grants: Currently supervises four research students (Ashish Chauhan, Bailey Forbes, Joanna Edwards, Shuaishuai Wang) across PhD and MSc programs. His lab investigates chromatin's role in development, with ongoing projects likely supported by grants focused on epigenetics and plant biology. Collaborations include work with labs at UC Davis and CNB-CSIC.

Labs/Teams: Leads a research group at Durham University using cutting-edge genomic and cell biological approaches to study chromatin regulation in plants. The group explores how environmental signals (light, hormones) and intrinsic pathways interact to shape developmental processes.