Research Group Leader

Dr. Diana Rubalcava is an associate researcher at UNAM  (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México).

Education and training

Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, 

Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden (2019-2025).

PhD in Biomedical Sciences, Department of Molecular Genetics, 

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico (2019).

Research Stay,  Department of Life Sciences

Université de Liège, Belgium (2016)

Bachelor degree, Basic Biomedical Research,

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico (2014).

Contact

diana.rubalcava@iibiomedicas.unam.mx

Research experience

Diana is an academic researcher specialising in mitochondrial gene expression in health and disease.  She has extensive experience in molecular, cellular, biochemical, and genetic techniques, applying her research to both mammalian and yeast models. 

Since 2012, her research has focused on mitochondrial biology and physiology. Initially, she investigated the mitochondrial defects associated with a drug used to treat hepatic diseases. For her doctoral dissertation, she explored the natural and experimental relocation of mitochondrial genes to the nucleus using yeast as a model organism. As a postdoctoral researcher, she worked on several research projects that aimed to understand how mitochondrial gene expression is regulated in mammalian systems and the connection between mitochondrial dysfunction and metabolic diseases.  As of 2025, Diana leads the GenMit lab at the Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (UNAM).

Recent courses taught

As of 2025, Diana co-coordinates the Cell Biology Course for the Basic Biomedical Research Undergraduate Program.  Previuosly, she taught a variety of seminars for the Undergraduate Biochemistry Course at Karolinska Institutet from 2019 to 2024.