ALAIN
JUAN DE SOLIS

My scientific career has investigated the regulation of physiological processes that control energy balance and how their deregulation impacts human health and disease. My extensive research experience, which includes two postdoctoral positions at international research institutions in USA and Germany, has allowed me to acquire comprehensive scientific knowledge and expertise related to the neuronal control of metabolism. During my Ph.D. studies at the Centro Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa under Prof. Jose Maria Carrascosa's supervision, I found that age-related increase in leptin levels impairs insulin signaling in the skeletal muscle and promotes higher blood glucose levels in Wistar rats (De Solis AJ. Mol Mech Dis 2012). Following my interest in hypothalamic neurocircuits, I got a postdoctoral position at Dr. L. Zeltser's laboratory at Columbia University of New York. My research project explored how altered nutritional states during postnatal development impacted the maturation of AgRP neurocircuits. Those investigations led to 2 impactful publications (Baquero A. J Neurosci 2014; De Solis AJ. Mol Metab 2016). During this period, I created my own international scientific network that resulted in two fruitful collaborations (Farino CJ. Mol Psychiatry 2019, and Wang L. JCI Insights 2019). In 2016, I got a postdoctoral position at Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Cologne to widen my expertise in intrahypothalamic circuits and their role in glucose homeostasis. There, I was awarded a Marie Curie Individual Fellowship in 2017. I unraveled how the interplay between two key hypothalamic neurocircuits differentially regulates food intake and systemic metabolism through the modulation of the Sympathetic Nervous System. The manuscript was submitted to Nature Metabolism journal on September 2022, which received positive comments from the reviewers and editor-in-chief (De Solis AJ. Nat Metabol In revision). During this period, I collaborated on other projects applying my scientific knowledge and technical expertise (Engström-Ruud L. Nature Comm 2020; Steurnagel L. Nature Metab 2022; and Ganziano I JCI Insights 2020) and attended selected training courses to strengthen my leadership skills (EMBO Laboratory Leadership 2018). From this period, I expanded my network including several young group leaders in Germany, Sweden, and Denmark. I have been invited to present my scientific data at Keystone symposia (2015), awarded with a travel fellowship and at a special Marie Curie Fellows meeting (2019), among others. Moreover, I participated as an expert in the revision panel for MSCA fellowships (2019) and in 3 thesis committees in Spain (2019-2021). I collaborated with UCLM in an Erasmus+ program to supervise 3 graduate students. Finally, I participated in outreach activities at the Max Planck Day (2017-18) and in public dissemination seminars organized together with CERFA (Society of Spanish Scientists in Germany).