Noelia Martinez-Sanchez

Noelia Martinez-Sanchez is a Research Fellow at Wolfson College and active researcher within the Radcliffe Department of Medicine at the University of Oxford, currently working at the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism (OCDEM) under Professor David Ray's supervision with coordination from Professor David Bechtold at the University of Manchester.

She earned her PhD in Endocrinology from the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain) in 2016, focusing on thyroid hormone regulation of energy balance through central nervous system modulation of peripheral metabolic organs, and holds an MSc in Nutrition. Her doctoral work established foundational insights into neuroendocrine control of metabolism.

Her research program centers on Metabolism, Neuroscience, and Endocrinology with specific emphasis on obesity pathophysiology. She investigates autonomic nervous system-adipose tissue crosstalk to identify neuro-excitatory therapeutic targets, particularly examining sympathetic nerve innervation of fat depots and neuroimmune interactions in metabolic homeostasis. This work bridges molecular endocrinology with neural circuit analysis to develop obesity interventions.

Her scientific contributions have been recognized through prestigious awards:

• Postdoctoral Fellowship from the government of Galicia (Spain) for obesity-related autonomic nervous system research in Lisbon
• Individual Marie Curie Fellowship supporting her Oxford work on sympathetic nerve targets in adipose tissue

Dr. Martinez-Sanchez leads collaborative projects within the Ray Group at OCDEM, developing innovative approaches to modulate adipose tissue innervation. Her current work with Manchester researchers explores coordinated neural-endocrine mechanisms in fat metabolism, positioning her at the forefront of neuro-metabolic obesity research with significant therapeutic implications.