Maria de Lucas is a visiting PhD student from Spain. She received her B.S. in Human Nutrition and Dietetics at the Autonomous University of Madrid and her M.S. in Nutrigenomics and Personalized Nutrition at the University of the Balearic Islands. Her research focuses on identifying biomarkers related to the prevention of obesity in pediatric populations. She joined the Donovan Lab in the fall of 2024 to deepen her knowledge in microbiome research.