CV
Education
Dec 2014 Doctor in Biology (PhD). Departament de Genètica, Universitat de Barcelona. Supervisors: Dr. Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo & Dr. Marta Riutort. Phylogeny and evolutionary perspective of Opisthokonta protists.
Jun 2010 Master in Developmental Biology and Genetics. Departament de Genètica, Universitat de Barcelona.
Jun 2009 Graduate in Biology. Universitat de Barcelona.
Research and professional experience
Jun 2023 Short-term visit as PostDoc at Department of Biology, Oxford University.
2021 – present PostDoc at the Comparative Genomics group. Biomedical Research Institute (IRB) and the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre (BSC), at Barcelona. Supervisor: Dr. Toni Gabaldón
2015 – 2020 PostDoc at the Equipe Diversité, Ecologie et Evolution Microbienne. Unité Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution. Université Paris Sud-Saclay. Supervisor: Dr. David Moreira & Dr. Purificación López-García
Feb – Apr 2013 Short-term visit as PhD student at AIRE Lab, Systématique, intégration, réticulation et évolution, Université Pierre et Marie Curie. Aug – Dec 2012 Short-term visit as PhD student at Roger Lab, Dalhousie University
2010 – 2014 PhD student at the MulticellGenome Lab. Departament de Genètica, UB. Institut de recerca de la biodiversitat and Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (UPF-CSIC). Supervisors: Dr. Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo & Dr. Marta Riutort
2009 – 2010 Master student at the MulticellGenome Lab. Supervisor: Dr. Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo
2007 – 2009 Undergraduate Student in training collaboration at the MulticellGenome Lab
Fellowships and awards
Jul 2021 William Trager Award. Most cited article, Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology
Oct 2020 Biogenoma: the Catalan Biogenome Project
Sep 2020 Beatriu de Pinós (2019 BP 00208) ID: 801370, MSCA–COFUND
Feb 2019 Rejections: MSCA-IF (87.4%), La Caixa Junior Leader Incoming (1st in reserve in the Life Science Panel)
Feb 2016 Marie Skłodowska Curie action (MSCA-IF 704566)
Jun 2013 Holtz-Conner award from ICOP XIV
Jan 2012 Travel grant from the Sociedad Española de Genética
Aug 2012 EMBO’s short-term fellowship
Mar 2011 FI-DGR PhD Grant from the Catalan Government, cofounded by the European Social Fund
Sep 2010 APIF PhD Grant from Universitat de Barcelona
Sep 2008 Undergrad fellowship from the Catalan government
Workshops
2022 Introduction to Python through bioinformatic examples. Bioinformatics Barcelona. 16h
2018 EukRef: Eukaryotic Reference Database. 18S rRNA collaborative annotation initiative. Station Biologique de Roscoff, Brittany. One week
2017 Triple A Winter School: Assembly, Annotation & Analysis of Whole Genome Sequence Data. Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETHzürich, Ascona. One week
2012 R programming at Departament de Genètica, UB. Two weeks
2011 Molecular Evolution at the Molecular Biology Laboratory. Woods Hole, MA. 1 week
Supervision
2017 – 2020 L. J. Galindo. PhD student, Université Paris Sud
2016, 6 mths E. Boher. MSc student, Université Paris Sud (04.01.16-30.06.16)
2013 – 2014 D. López-Escardó. PhD student, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (UPF)
Jun 2011 G. Prunés. Undergrad student, Universitat de Barcelona (UB)
Outreach
Oct 2023 High-school seminar (1h) Matins de Recerca. Barberà del Vallès (4t ESO)
Sep 2023 High-school seminar (1h) Matins de Recerca. Terrassa (2n batx)
Sep 2023 El fascinant món dels protists (20’) European Researcher’s Night. BCN
May 2023 High-school seminar (1h) Matins de Recerca. Badalona (2n batx)
Apr 2022 High-school seminar (1h) RecerConnecta. Hospitalet de Llobregat (1r batx)
Sep 2021 Project summary: Euk-2-Us: Linking the origin of eukaryotes to the diversification of animals and fungi with genomics of nanoflagellates
Dec 2019 Paper summary: les approches de cellule unique pour explorer la biodiversité cryptique des protistes
Aug 2018 Speed meeting “bavardages évolutifs”. 2nd Joint Congress on Evolutionary Biology. Montpelhièr
Teaching
Oct 2023 L’arbre de la vida, seminar (1h) UB. Master in Biodiversity
Feb 2023 Accredited as “Professor lector” by the AQU (Catalan administration)
Oct 2022 Accredited as “Profesor ayudante doctor” by ANECA (Spanish admin)
2021 – 2022 Practical teaching Bioinformatics (20h) UPF
2021 – 2023 Practical teaching Comparative & Functional Genomics (84h) ESCI-UPF
Nov 2020 Mètodes d’inferència filogenètica, seminar (2h) UB. Master in Biodiversity
Sep 2018 Accredited as “Maître de conferences” by the French administration
2010 – 2011 Practical teaching Molecular Genetics (32 hours) UB
Membership of scientific societies
2021 – present Society for Open Reliable & Transparent Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
2018 – present International Society of Evolutionary Protistology
2013 – present International Society of Protistologists
2010 – present Societat Catalana de Biologia
Peer review
Reviewer for 12 scientific journals:
Protist, Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology, PeerJ, European Journal of Protistology, Environmental Microbiology, Metabarcoding & Metagenomics, Molecular Phylogeny and Evolution, BMC Biology, Systematics and Biodiversity, Biodiversity Data Journal, Nature Communications, New Phytologist, Gene
Reviewer for research grants: Human Frontier Science Program Organization
Proposals to be associate editor: Frontiers in Protistology: Evolution and Physiology of Protists section, Archives of Microbiology
Beta tester for bioinformatics software: Blobtools 1 & 2, CroCo, AliScore, EukRef pipeline, MetAline
Publications
Book Chapters & Reviews
T Gabaldón, E Völcker, G Torruella 2022. On the biology, diversity and evolution of nucleariid amoebae. Protist. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.protis.2022.125895. Q2 Corresponding
Adl et al. 2018. Revisions to the classification, nomenclature, and diversity of eukaryotes. J Eukaryot Microbiol 10.1111/jeu.12691.
Guifré Torruella, David Moreira, Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo. 2014. The Domain Eucarya: The Rise of Organisms with Nucleated Cells in The Tree of Life. Sinauer Associates, Inc. Ed. Pablo Vargas & Rafael Zardoya. ISBN: 978-1-60535-229-9
Journal Publications
2023
J Blaz, L J Galindo, A Heiss, H Kaur, G Torruella, A Yang, L Thompson, A Filbert, S Warring, A Narechania, T Shiratori, K Ishida, J Dacks, P López-García, D Moreira, E Kim, L Eme. High-quality genome and transcriptome data for two new species of Mantamonas, a deep-branching eukaryote clade. Sci. Data. Q1
N Yubuki, G Torruella, L J Galindo, A Heiss, M Ciobanu, T Shiratori, K Ishida, J Blaz, E Kim, D Moreira, P López-García, L Eme. Molecular and morphological characterisation of four new ancyromonad genera and proposal for an updated taxonomy of the Ancyromonadida. J Eukaryot Microbiol. Q2 *Co-first author. Co-corresponding
L J Galindo, K Prokina, G Torruella, D Moreira, P López-García. Maturases and Group II Introns in the Mitochondrial Genomes of the Deepest Jakobid Branch. GBE. DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evad058 Q1
2022
G Torruella, LJ Galindo, D Moreira, M Ciobanu, AA Heiss, N Yubuki, E Kim, P López-García. Expanding the molecular and morphological diversity of Apusomonadida, a deep-branching group of gliding bacterivorous protists. J Eukaryot Microbiol. DOI: 10.1111/jeu.12956 Q2 Co-corresponding
L J Galindo, G Torruella*, P López-García, M Ciobanu, A Gutiérrez-Preciado, S Karpov, D Moreira. Phylogenomics Supports the Monophyly of Aphelids and Fungi and Identifies New Molecular Synapomorphies. Syst. Biol. doi.org/10.1093/sysbio/syac054 Q1 *Co-first author
Grau-Bové X, Navarrete C, Chiva C, Pribasnig T, Antó M, Torruella G, Galindo LJ, Lang BF, Moreira D, López-Garcia P, Ruiz-Trillo I, Schleper C, Sabidó E, Sebé-Pedrós A. A phylogenetic and proteomic reconstruction of eukaryotic chromatin evolution. Nat. Ecol. Evol. 10.1038/s41559-022-01771-6. Q1
2021
L Galindo, P López-García, G Torruella, S A. Karpov, D Moreira. Phylogenomics of a new fungal phylum reveals multiple waves of reductive evolution across Holomycota. Nature Commun. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-25308-w. Q1
2019
L J Galindo, G Torruella*, D Moreira, Y Eglit, A G. B. Simpson, E Völcker, S Clauss, P López-García. Combined cultivation and single-cell approaches to the phylogenomics of the nucleariid amoebae, close relatives of Fungi. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2019.0094 Q1. *Co-first author, Co-corresponding
2018
G Torruella, X Grau-Bové, D Moreira, S A. Karpov, J Burns, A Sebé-Pedrós, E Völcker, P López-García. Global transcriptome analysis of the aphelid Paraphelidium tribonemae supports the phagotrophic origin of fungi. Communications Biology 231. https://rdcu.be/bdRJ9 Q1 Co-corresponding
L J Galindo, G Torruella, D Moreira, H Timpano, G Paskerova, A Smirnov, E Nassonova, P López-García. Evolutionary genomics of Metchnikovella incurvata (Metchnikovellidae), an early branching microsporidium. Genome Biol Evol 10.1093/gbe/evy205. Q1
D Bass, L Czech, B Williams, C Berney, M Dunthorn, F Mahé, G Torruella, G D Stentiford, T A Williams. Clarifying the Relationships between Microsporidia and Cryptomycota. J Eukaryot Microbiol 10.1111/jeu.12519. William Trager Award after two years. Q2
D López-Escardó, P López-García, D Moreira, I Ruiz-Trillo, G Torruella. Parvularia atlantis gen. et sp. nov., nucleariid filose amoeba (Holomycota, Opisthokonta). J Eukaryot Microbiol 10.1111/jeu.12450. Q2 Corresponding
2017
X Grau-Bové, G Torruella, S Donachie, H Suga, G Leonard, T A Richards, Ruiz-Trillo. Dynamics of genomic innovation in the unicellular ancestry of animals. eLife 10.7554/eLife.26036. Q1
S A Karpov, G Torruella, D Moreira, P López-García. Molecular phylogeny of Paraphelidium letcheri sp. nov. (Aphelida, Opisthosporidia). J Eukaryot Microbiol 10.1111/jeu.12389. Q2
G Torruella, D Moreira and P López-García. Phylogenetic and ecological diversity of apusomonads, a lineage of deep-branching eukaryotes. Environ Microbiol Rep 10.1111/1758-2229.12507. Q1
2016
S A Karpov, V S Tcvetkova, M A Mamkaeva, G Torruella, H Timpano, D Moreira, K S Mamanazarova, P López-García. Morphological and Genetic Diversity of Opisthosporidia: New Aphelid Paraphelidium tribonemae Gen. et Sp. Nov. J Eukaryot Microbiol 10.1111/jeu.12352. Q2
2015
G Torruella, A de Mendoza, X Grau-Bové, M Antó, M A. Chaplin, J del Campo, L Eme, G Pérez-Cordón, C M. Whipps, K M Nichols, R Paley, A J Roger, A Sitjà-Bobadilla, S Donachie, Ruiz-Trillo. Phylogenomics reveals convergent evolution of lifestyles in close relatives of animals and fungi. Curr Biol 10.1016/j.cub.2015.07.053. Q1
R Derelle, G Torruella, V Klimeš, H Brinkmann, E Kim, Č Vlček, B F Lang, M Eliáš. Bacterial proteins pinpoint a single eukaryotic root. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 10.1073/pnas.1420657112. Q1
2014
H Suga, G Torruella, G Burger, M W Brown, I Ruiz-Trillo. Earliest holozoan expansion of phosphotyrosine signaling. Mol Biol Evol 10.1093/molbev/mst241. Subject: Agricultural and Biological Sciences, category: Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, 2017 Q1, position 8/612 in scopus
2013
A de Mendoza, A Sebé-Pedrós, M Sebastijan Sestak, M Matejcic, G Torruella, T Domazet-Loso, I Ruiz-Trillo. Transcription factor evolution in eukaryotes and the assembly of the regulatory toolkit in multicellular lineages. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 10.1073/pnas.1311818110. Q1
A Sebé-Pedrós, A Ariza-Cosano, M T Weirauch, S Leininger, A Yang, G Torruella, M Adamski, M Adamska, T R Hughes, J L Gómez-Skarmeta, I Ruiz-Trillo. Early evolution of the T-box transcription factor family. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 10.1073/pnas.1309748110. Q1
H Suga, Z Chen, A de Mendoza, A Sebé-Pedrós, M W Brown, E Kramer, M Carr, P Kerner, M Vervoort, N Sánchez-Pons, G Torruella, R Derelle, G Manning, B F Lang, C Russ, B J Haas, A J Roger, C Nusbaum, I Ruiz-Trillo. 2013 The Capsaspora genome reveals a complex unicellular prehistory of animals. Nat Commun 10.1038/ncomms3325. Q1
2012
G Torruella, R Derelle, J Paps, B F Lang, A J Roger, K Shalchian-Tabrizi, I Ruiz-Trillo. Phylogenetic relationships within the Opisthokonta based on phylogenomic analyses of conserved single-copy protein domains. Mol Biol Evol 10.1093/molbev/msr185. Q1
2009
G Torruella, H Suga, M Riutort, J Peretó, I Ruiz-Trillo. The evolutionary history of lysine biosynthesis pathways within eukaryotes. J Mol Evol 10.1007/s00239-009-9266-x. Q1
Communications
2023 Poster Euk-2-Us: Linking the origin of eukaryotes to the diversification of animals and fungi with genomics of flagellates. SMBE. Ferrara
2023 Talk Deciphering the evolution of the early-diverging clades of heterotrophic flagellates Apusomonadida and Ancyromonadida. ECOP-ISOP joint meeting: “The Century of Protists”. Vienna
2023 Talk Expanding the diversity of heterotrophic flagellates: Apusomonadida and Ancyromonadida. ISEP Virtual Meeting. On-line
2022 Poster Apusomonadida phylogenomics & comparative genomics: linking the ancestor of eukaryotes to the diversification of opisthokonts. EMBO Comparative genomics of unicellular eukaryotes: Interactions and symbioses. Sant Feliu de Guíxols
2022 Talk Euk-2-Us: Linking the origin of eukaryotes to the diversification of animals and fungi with genomics of flagellates. XXI Jornada de biologia evolutiva. Barcelona
2019 Poster Global transcriptome analysis of the aphelid Paraphelidium tribonemae supports the phagotrophic origin of fungi. EMBO Comparative genomics of eukaryotic microbes: Genomes in flux, and flux between genomes. Sant Feliu de Guíxols
2019 Talk Phylogeny and evolutionary perspectives of Opisthokonta protists. SEMBIO seminar. Museu de Ciències Naturals. Barcelona. 2018 Poster The cousins of fungi. II Joint Congress on Evolutionary Biology. Montpellier
2018 Talk The transcriptome of Paraphelidium tribonemae illuminates the ancestry of Fungi. ISEP. Droushia
2017 Invited talk The cousins of fungi: nucleariids and opisthosporidians. International Symposium on Interaction of fungi with plants, animals and human. Tokyo
2017 Talk Phylogenomic analysis of Paraphelidium tribonemae (Aphelida, Opisthosporidia, Opisthokonta). 9th IDEEV Day. Gif-sur-Yvette
2017 Poster. Insights into the genome of Metchnikovella incurvata (Metchnikovellidae), an early branching member of the parasitic Microsporidia. ICOP. Prague
2017 Talk Phylogenomic analysis of Paraphelidium tribonemae (Aphelida, Opisthosporidia, Opisthokonta). ICOP 2017. Prague
2016 Talk Parvularia gen. nov. represents a deep-branching filose amoeba related to nucleariids, the earliest-branching lineage of Holomycota (Opisthokonta). Protist-2016. Moscow
2015 Poster Apusomonad environmental surveys establish new clades in both marine and fresh water environments. VII European Congress of Protistology. Seville
2015 Talk Opisthokonts and their relatives: a clue to understanding early eukaryote diversification?. The Company of Biologists: Eukaryo-/Archaeogenesis; Where Do We Stand? West Sussex
2013 Talk A taxon-wide phylogenomic study on Opisthokonta protists. International Congress of Protistology (ICOP XIV). Vancouver, BC. Funded by the Holtz-Conner Award
2012 Talk Relationships within the Opisthokonta Based on Phylogenomic Analyses of Conserved Single-Copy Protein Domains. Rencontres Alphy. Génomique évolutive, bioinformatique, alignement et phylogénie in Banyuls de la Marenda
2011 Talk Relationships within the Opisthokonta Based on Phylogenomic Analyses of Conserved Single-Copy Protein Domains. 3rd meeting of Spanish Society of evolutionary Biology (SESBE) in Madrid
2010 Poster presentation Towards establishing new pre-metazoan model organism. BCN Developmental Biology joint retreat, St Feliu de Guíxols
2010 Poster presentation Phylogenomics of Opisthokonts using protein domains. Frontiers in biodiversity seminar. A phylogenetic perspective. Barcelona
2010 Assistance to X Annual Evolutionary Biology Seminar of Catalan Society of Biology (SCB), Barcelona
2009 Poster presentation Several LGT events involved in the Lysine biosynthesis pathway. 2nd meeting of Spanish Society of evolutionary Biology (SESBE), Valencia