Silvia Santos

Silvia Santos is a Group Leader at the Francis Crick Institute, leading the Quantitative Stem Cell Biology Lab since January 2018. Her research focuses on understanding cell decision-making during transitions, specifically cell division and differentiation in early development using human embryonic stem cells. She combines experimental techniques with theoretical approaches, including advanced microscopy, genomics, and computational modeling.

Education and Career: PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology from EMBL-Heidelberg (2008), followed by postdoctoral training at Stanford University (2009-2014). She held an MRC Career Development Award at Imperial College London (2014-2017) before joining the Crick. Her work emphasizes interdisciplinary methods to study cellular processes in health and disease.

Research Interests: Spatial-temporal control in cell decisions, stem cell differentiation, cell cycle regulation, and modeling embryonic development. She advocates for women in science and mentorship programs for early-career researchers.

Key Achievements: Recipient of Marie Curie E-Star, EMBO, and HFSP fellowships. Recognized with the BioModels’ Model of the Year 2023 for contributions to systems biology. Her lab develops models like gastruloids to study embryonic development.

Grants and Mentorship: Supported by MRC and other grants. Committed to fostering excellence in training and mentorship, previously chairing mentorship initiatives at Imperial College London.

Labs and Teams: Quantitative Stem Cell Biology Lab at the Crick, collaborating with interdisciplinary teams on projects involving proteomics, genomics, and high-throughput screening.