The Department of Medicine and Life Sciences (MELIS) of the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) was founded in 1998 and is one of eight departments of UPF, a public university established in 1990 with a strong dedication to excellence in research and teaching. UPF holds a leading position among Spanish universities in multiple international rankings: 1st Spanish university in the U-Multirank, and 3rd Spanish university in the Times Higher Education ranking (2023). MELIS’s scientific capabilities and achievements led to its being one of six research units in Spain to be awarded the María de Maeztu distinction by the Agencia Estatal de Investigación in 2014. MELIS obtained its second María de Maeztu award in 2018.
Together with the UPF’s Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, MELIS is responsible for four undergraduate degrees: Human Biology, Medicine, Biomedical Engineering and Bioinformatics. The Department also runs Master’s degrees in the fields of biomedical research, bioinformatics, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, clinical analysis, and public health. MELIS has established an alliance with the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST, which integrates top research centres of Barcelona) to coordinate a joint pioneering Master’s degree in Multidisciplinary Research in Experimental Sciences. Our PhD Programme in Biomedicine is fully taught in English, and it is recognised by independent agencies.
MELIS is strategically located within the Barcelona’s Biomedical Research Park (PRBB) which gathers several public research centres and is physically connected to Barcelona’s Hospital del Mar, thus being one of the largest hubs of research in Southern Europe. This close contact facilitated alliances with notable research institutes affiliated with UPF such as the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), the Hospital del Mar – Medical Research Institute (IMIM), and the EMBL-Barcelona.
In 2023, we welcomed three new group leaders: Marta Barniol-Xicota (Chemical Biology of Therapeutic Enzymes), Mireia Vallès-Colomer (Microbiome), and Manuel Irimia (Transcriptomics of vertebrate development and evolution).
MELIS team
Jordi García Ojalvo
Vicedirectors:Berta Alsina
Robert Castelo
Olga Valverde
Isabel Fariñas (Universitat de València)
Members:Cosima Tatiana Baldari (Università di Siena)
Alfonso Valencia (BSC)
Martí Aldea (Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona)
Alexander Aulehla (EMBL)
María Ángeles Moro Sánchez (CNIC)
David Posada (Universidad de Vigo)
Jody Rosenblatt (King’s College London)
Fina Lorente
Carme Casanovas
Susana Fernández
Mar Garreta
Sonia Lago
David Moreso
Montse Morillas
Jordi Solà
Anna Almor, Montserrat Andreu, Alejandro Aparici, Xavier Ardite, Josep Aymamí, Cèlia Barranco, Marta Bonet, Gemma Burballa, Núria Cabrera, Mar Cama, Neus Cartes, Pilar Cerro, Margarida Codinachs, Violeta Coll, Jairo Consol, Iris Cros, Mar de Haro, Ana Dieste, Gemma Esparó, Elena Espinet, Rubén Fernández, Lluís Flores, Modou Fofana, Sonia Gandul, Érika Garrido, Jordi Garriga, Guillem Giralt, Ariadna Giménez, Robert González, Cintia Gutiérrez, Joan Hurtado, Sonia Iturrate, Mireia Llimós, Ariadna López, Regina López, Núria Margalef, Rosa Martínez, Marta Mas, Tamara Monras, Cristina Monter, Neus Morgui, Mar Morral, Ariadna Muntané, Jordi Palau, Maria Parras, Rafa Puente, Víctor Raduà, Natàlia Ras, Anna Regot, Lídia Reichenberg, Maria Riera, Anna Rivas, Maria José Senmartí, Joana Soria, Marta Torras, Xavier Vallvé, Pedro Vázquez, Carla Vega, Ramon Vendrell, Alexis Vicioso, Marta Vila, Carla Vilardebo, Susana Vilella, Jordi Viñas, Rosa Violeta
