University of Valencia | Spain
Dr. María del Mar Esteban Torres is a distinguished microbiologist and Senior Researcher at the University of Valencia, Spain. She earned her PhD in Biology and Food Science from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in 2014. With over a decade of expertise, she specializes in microbiota–host interactions during early life, advancing knowledge in gut commensals, probiotics, and microbial metabolism. Her research excellence is reflected in 36 publications with 1017 citations. She has actively contributed to 15 research projects, seven of them international, and served as principal investigator in several. Her global collaborations include leading scientists from Ireland, Spain, Japan, the USA, and Norway. She has been awarded prestigious grants, such as the Marie Curie Fellowship and the Irish Research Council grant, showcasing her international recognition. Dr. Esteban Torres is also actively engaged in editorial activities as Associate Editor of Frontiers in Microbiology and Guest Editor of Frontiers in Nutrition. She regularly reviews manuscripts for top-tier journals, contributing to the advancement of science globally. Her research has achieved an h-index of 21 (Scopus), reflecting both quality and impact. Beyond academia, she has collaborated in industry projects, highlighting the translational value of her work. She is a dedicated member of professional societies, including the Spanish Society for Microbiology, the Microbiology Society, ISAPP-SFA, and the Spanish Society of Microbiota, Probiotics, and Prebiotics. Her contributions include uncovering bifidobacteria’s molecular mechanisms, probiotic immunomodulation, and frameworks for probiotics research. Recent publications in npj Biofilms and Microbiomes and Nature Communications (2025) further reinforce her leadership in microbiome science. Dr. Esteban Torres’s career demonstrates excellence in innovation, international collaboration, and scientific leadership. Her work continues to inspire advances in microbiome research, early-life nutrition, and microbial therapeutics. With a proven record of research achievements, impactful collaborations, and editorial influence, she is a strong candidate for the Best Researcher Award.
Featured Publications
“A reconceptualized framework for human microbiome transmission in early life”.
“Mother-to-infant vertical transmission in early life: a systematic review and proportional meta-analysis of Bifidobacterium strain transmissibility”.
“Selective human milk oligosaccharide utilization by members of the Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum taxon”.
“A Lactobacillus plantarum esterase active on a broad range of phenolic esters”.
“Unveiling metabolic pathways of selected plant-derived glycans by Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum”.
“Maternal-infant antibiotic resistance genes transference: what do we know”.