Juana Gallar appointed as the new director of the Institute for Neurosciences UMH-CSIC

19 de November de 2024

The Official Gazette of the Miguel Hernández University (UMH) of Elche has published the resolution appointing researcher Juana Gallar as the new director of the Institute for Neurosciences (IN), a joint center of the UMH and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). The UMH Professor of Physiology succeeds researcher Ángel Barco and becomes the first woman to lead the IN since its establishment in 1990. Researcher Guillermina López-Bendito will serve as the IN’s deputy director under the new leadership team.

Photo: Juana Gallar, director of the IN (Source: Institute for Neurosciences)

 “It is a great honor and a tremendous responsibility”, says Juana Gallar, the newly appointed director of the Institute for Neurosciences. “I am deeply grateful to the Institute’s scientific community for their support, as well as to the UMH administration and the CSIC leadership”, she adds. Professor Gallar emphasizes the importance of collaborative work and expresses confidence in the exceptional team of researchers at the IN, which holds the Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence distinction. “Fortunately, I will have a strong leadership team by my side,” notes the researcher. In addition to researcher Guillermina López-Bendito, researcher Santiago Canals will soon join as deputy director.

Currently, the IN supports the research activities of more than 350 internationally renowned scientists. “Our primary goal will be to secure additional space and ensure its proper allocation”, Gallar explains. “This is a very pragmatic but absolutely essential step to achieve our ultimate objective: attracting new talent while supporting the talent we already have. Support in many forms—from adding infrastructure and equipment to remain at the forefront of knowledge to fostering greater internal dialogue to improve staff well-being”.

Scientific Career

Juana Gallar is a Professor of Physiology at UMH and leads the Ocular Neurobiology Group at the IN UMH-CSIC. After earning her PhD at the University of Alicante (UA), she completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Retina Foundation’s Eye Research Institute (Harvard Medical School, USA) and served as a visiting researcher at the University of California, San Diego (USA), and an associate researcher at the University of New South Wales (Australia). Gallar has devoted more than 40 years to studying the sensory and autonomic nervous systems in ocular functions, delving deeply into topics like ocular pain, physiology, and pathologies affecting somatosensory innervation, such as dry eye, ocular inflammation, post-surgical neuropathic pain, and peripheral neuropathies like diabetic neuropathy.

Throughout her career, Gallar has published more than 75 articles in high-impact scientific journals and delivered 150 presentations at international conferences. She has contributed chapters to leading books in her field and is the inventor of multiple patents, four of which have been licensed to national and international companies, including the spin-off she co-founded, TearFul S.L.

Her accolades include being named a Gold Fellow of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) and receiving the Honorary Plaque from the Spanish Association of Scientists. Gallar has held various leadership roles, such as Chair of the National Accreditation Committee for Professors and Associate Professors in Biomedical and Health Sciences, editorial board member of the Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs at UMH. Her commitment to science includes training young researchers, promoting science among women, and engaging in outreach activities. Additionally, she plays an active role in NeurotechEU, a European university alliance spearheaded by UMH.

Gallar is actively involved in international scientific societies, serving as the treasurer of the European Vision and Eye Research (EVER) organization and vice-president of the International Society for Eye Research (ISER). She has also chaired award committees and organized numerous international congresses and symposia.

Source: Institute for Neurosciences UMH-CSIC (in.comunicacion@umh.es)