Prof. Pilar Rivera Gil is Associate Professor and founder/ Head of the Integrative Biomedical Materials and Nanomedicine Lab at Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), located at the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB). A pharmacist by training, she holds a PhD in Molecular Biology from Freie Universität Berlin and a Habilitation in Pharmaceutical Technology from Philipps-Universität Marburg. Upon returning to Spain, she secured two highly competitive national positions: a Ramón y Cajal Fellowship and subsequently a Tenure Track position at UPF, where she was promoted to Associate Professor.

Her lab integrates nanomaterials and quantitative biology to turn physicochemical design into predictive, measurable, and actionable biomedical outcomes. Three questions drive the group: building predictive nano-bio interaction rules for safer-by-design nanomedicines; quantifying dynamic intracellular biomarkers non-destructively via chemometric models; and engineering triggerable theranostic nanosystems validated in vivo for efficacy and safety. Current projects address unmet clinical needs in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and point-of-care diagnostics, alongside nanotechnology-based solutions for product authentication.

She has authored over 45 peer-reviewed publications with more than 9,300 citations and an h-index of 41. A committed mentor, she leads a highly international team of PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and master's students from Germany, China, Russia, and Spain, among others.