Pablo Catalan Fernandez

Pablo Catalan Fernandez is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics at Carlos III University of Madrid, specializing in applying mathematical methods to biological problems. His research focuses on antibiotic resistance, evolutionary dynamics, and plant systems biology. He holds a PhD in Mathematical Engineering from UC3M (2017) and has held postdoctoral positions at the University of Exeter and UC3M. His work combines theoretical modeling with experimental collaboration, resulting in impactful publications indexed in high-impact journals like Science Advances and Nature Communications.

Education highlights include a PhD in Mathematical Engineering (cum laude), a BSc in Mathematics (UNED), and dual degrees in Biology (Complutense University) and Complex Systems (Rey Juan Carlos University). He has taught over 700 hours in Mathematics and Calculus courses, averaging top-tier evaluations (4.44/5). His educational innovation project, “Calculus Made Easy,” produced an OCW-UC3M course and YouTube tutorials.

Research contributions include developing the toyLIFE model (genotype-phenotype mapping framework), analyzing the ATLAS antibiotic resistance database, and modeling plant growth dynamics. Key awards include the 2023 Vivli AMR Prize (€10k) and the 2018 Ramon Areces Fellowship (€52.8k). He leads the PGE research project (MICINN-funded) and collaborates with institutions like the CNB and Pfizer.

• Research Grants: Patterns of Growth and Evolution (PGE), Physics of Bacterial and Developing Systems (BADS)
• Advising: Supervised 4 BSc, 4 MSc theses, and co-supervises a PhD student (Javier Molina, predoctoral contract)
• Labs/Teams: Interdisciplinary collaborations with Saul Ares (plant systems biology), Robert Beardmore (antibiotic resistance), and Jose Cuesta (evolutionary dynamics)

Software contributions include the toyLIFE computational framework (C++), ATLAS analysis tools (Python), and models for OXA-48 enzyme inhibition (Jupyter Notebooks). Active reviewer for journals like Nature Communications and PLoS Computational Biology.