Dr. Caño-Delgado is an internationally recognized plant biologist whose research focuses on how plants perceive and respond to their environment. This distinction underscores her outstanding scientific contributions and her potential to lead innovative projects.

The ICREA (Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies) Research Professor award is a highly competitive program designed to attract and retain top scientists in Catalonia. ICREA fellows are selected for their exceptional research achievements and their ability to lead pioneering projects. This appointment provides significant support, enabling researchers to pursue innovative projects and establish themselves as leaders in their fields.

Ana I. Caño-Delgado earned her PhD at the John Innes Centre in UK and completed postdoctoral research at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California. She joined CRAG in 2009 as a CSIC researcher, where she founded her group Brassinosteroid signaling in plant development and adaption to climate change. In 2016, she was elected as an EMBO Member, which recognizes a life scientist's research excellence and outstanding achievements.

Beyond her academic achievements, Dr. Caño-Delgado co-founded the Spanish subsidiary of the agriculture biotech company Invaio Sciences and she recently founded PLANeT Biotech, CRAG’s first spin-off. PLANeT Biotech develops innovative solutions to enhance crop resilience to climate change, with a particular focus on sorghum.

Her research has made significant advances in understanding plant steroid signaling, especially the role of brassinosteroids in plant growth and development. This work has been supported by the European Research Council (ERC) through both Consolidator and Proof of Concept grants. Her findings have been published in leading scientific journals, and she has received numerous awards for her contributions. At CRAG, Dr. Caño-Delgado will continue investigating the molecular mechanisms that enable plants to withstand environmental stresses such as drought and heat waves, using sorghum as a promising model crop.

The appointment of Ana I. Caño-Delgado as ICREA Research Professor is a testament to her remarkable achievements and her dedication to advancing scientific knowledge.

CRAG’s Director, L. Maria Lois, stated: “It is a great honor for us to incorporate Ana I. Caño-Delgado as an ICREA Research Professor. Her work will undoubtedly contribute to CRAG’s mission of excellence and innovation in agrigenomics”.