Laura Bravo Clemente

BSc in Biology (Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 1988) and PhD in Chemistry (Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, 1993), she completed her Thesis at the Institute of Nutrition (UCM-CSIC) in Madrid (Spain). As a post-doctoral fellow (grants from the Spanish Ministry of Education and the European Union, Marie Curie Fellowship), she worked for 2-year (1994-1995) at the MRC-Dunn Clinical Nutrition Centre (Cambridge, United Kingdom). In 1996 she returned to Spain to the Instituto del Frio (CSIC) with a CSIC-postdoctoral return contract. In 1998 she obtained a permanent position as Tenured Scientist at CSIC, promoting to Researcher in 2008. Since 2012 she is Full Professor at the Institute of Food Science, Technology and Nutrition, where she was Director since its foundation in 2011 until 2019. Prof. Bravo has participated in 55 national and international projects (16 as PI), 30 contracts with the industry (16 PI). She has published 145 SCI-indexes articles (h-index 47), 22 book chapters and monographies, and participated in more than 175 scientific conferences. She is Associate Editor of Food & Function (Royal Society of Chemistry) and Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity.

Prof. Bravo is the head of the research group Metabolism and Bioactivity of Phytochemicals (BIOCELL). Her main research lines are focused on the health beneficial effects of dietary bioactive compounds (mainly polyphenols and prebiotics). The study of the bioavailability and metabolism of phytochemicals, their mechanisms of action, and efficacy on non-communicable diseases (obesity, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease) is carried out by in vitro methods (cell culture), preclinical research in different animal models, and, especially, by clinical trials in humans, taking into consideration the interindividual variability in the response to the diet.

The final mission of the research is to improve the health and quality of life of consumers through precision nutrition.