On Friday, March 6, SRAP Melbourne invites you to celebrate International Women’s Day with another another Research Bites event at The Spanish Club, the Spanish Home of Melbourne (57 Johnston St., Fitzroy), featuring a series of talks on research in Spanish by female researchers working in Australia. An opportunity to share research, knowledge, and community.
We will have four talks presented by SRAP members: Mrs. Olivia Vidal Velázquez (PhD Candidate in Astrophysics, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing (CAS), Swinburne University of Technology), Dr. Marta Peirats-Llobet (Research Fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space, Department of Ecological Plant and Animal Sciences, La Trobe University), Dr. Ana Luque Gómez (Chemist, Organometallic Catalysis, Sustainable Chemistry), Dr. Elena Lantero Escolar (Research Officer, Boddey Laboratory, Division of Infection and Global Health, WEHI).
Event information:
Friday, March 6 Doors open at 6:30 pm. Talks begin at 7:00 pm
Free admission with mandatory registration, includes a Day Pass to the Spanish Club.
Speakers’ Bios:
Dr Ana Luque Gómez Chemist | Organometallic Catalysis | Sustainable Chemistry
Ana Luque Gómez obtained a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry at the University of Seville in 2018. Between 2019 and 2024, she completed a PhD and two master’s degrees in molecular chemistry and education at the University of Zaragoza. In her last position, she was a lecturer in Organic Chemistry at the Pablo de Olavide University in Seville in 2025. As per March 2026, Ana is living in Melbourne and seeking new opportunities.
Dr Elena Lantero Escolar Research Officer | Boddey Laboratory Division of Infection and Global Health | WEHI
Elena Lantero Escolar moved to Melbourne two and a half years ago, pursuing her goal of studying malaria transmission. Originally from Zaragoza, she graduated in Biotechnology from the University of Valencia. She began her PhD in Biotechnology in 2015 at the University of Barcelona, under the supervision of Xavier Fernandez-Busquets, leader of the NANOMALARIA group at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health. Since then, malaria and parasitology have become her specialization and passion. She worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and subsequently began her research position at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, in the Boddey lab, where she continues to investigate malaria transmission using molecular biology tools.
Mrs Olivia Vidal Velazquez PhD Candidate in Astrophysics, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing (CAS) – Swinburne University of Technology
Olivia Vidal Velazquez is a PhD candidate in astrophysics studying how the Universe has expanded over time using Type Ia supernovae as cosmological probes. These powerful stellar explosions are so bright they can briefly outshine entire galaxies. Because they shine in a remarkably predictable way, astronomers use them as “cosmic measuring tapes” to calculate distances across the Universe. Her research explores how the environments where these stars explode influence what we observe, helping to improve the accuracy of measurements used to study dark energy, the mysterious force driving the accelerated expansion of the Universe. She works with large astronomical surveys and advanced data analysis techniques to better understand these distant explosions. Beyond her research, Olivia is passionate about science communication and outreach. She regularly engages in public talks and community events, sharing how studying exploding stars helps us understand the history and future of the cosmos.
Dr Marta Peirats-Llobet
Research Fellow | ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space
Ecological Plant and Animal Sciences Department | La Trobe University
Marta Peirats-Llobet is a plant biologist whose research explores how plants grow, develop, and adapt to challenging environments using cutting-edge spatial transcriptomics techniques. After earning her Ph.D. in plant biotechnology at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, she joined La Trobe University in Melbourne, where she leads research combining molecular biology, imaging, and bioinformatics to map when and where genes are active within plant tissues. Her work has revealed new insights into plant stress responses and seed germination, and she now applies spatial omics technologies to study how plants might thrive in extreme environments such as space or the Moon. Marta is also an active member of the Plant Cell Atlas community, where she helps drive innovation and training in spatial biology to support the next generation of plant scientists and advance understanding of plant life on Earth and beyond.