Dr. Ana González-Rueda is an experimental neuroscientist interested in understanding how neuronal connectivity arises and is shaped to confer neuronal networks their unique computational capabilities. She graduated from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona, Spain) with a BSc in Human Biology and an MRes in Biomedical Research. During the MRes she joined Prof. Ole Paulsen laboratory (Department of PDN, University of Cambridge) to study how neuronal connections can be modified by a process called synaptic plasticity. She was subsequently awarded a Michael Foster scholarship in Physiology to carry on her research in the pursuit of a doctorate degree. During her PhD she found that sleep promotes the efficient storage of relevant information in the brain: connections within strong neuronal assemblies (representing specific concepts or memories) are selectively preserved while weak connections are lost.

In 2019 she was awarded a Henslow Research Fellowship to further investigate the relationship between network connectivity and network function by focusing on a readily addressable neuronal computation: the sensory-to-motor transformation. Her research will focus on understanding how the brain transforms sensory information (e.g. I see a cup of coffee) into the appropriate motor action (i.e. I extend my arm and rotate my wrist to reach the correct location).