Mar is a jill-of-all-trades and master of some; an interdisciplinary generalist passionate about using computational and mathematical tools for data-intensive research. From uncovering insights to support evidence-based decision-making, to best practice approaches in research and development; all while sharing this knowledge to build communities of practice.

Mar is a Research Data Specialist for the Melbourne Data Analytics Platform, at The University of Melbourne, where she uses this broad experience to collaborate with researchers across all domains. Previously she worked in public health, where she developed a mathematical model to optimise the allocation of medical diagnostic equipment for the World Bank, and used self-report and record linkage data (Medicare, PBS) to evaluate Melbourne’s Medically Supervised Injecting Room for the Victorian Government. Before that she worked on physiology education and outreach, developing virtual experiments for teaching undergraduate students, and leading awareness activities in her role within the ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, including a demonstration of a brain-computer interface to over 400 members of the general public.

Mar holds a BSc/MSc in Mathematics from the University of Cordoba, Argentina, and a PhD in computational and experimental neuroscience from Rutgers University, USA, where she studied how brain cells process visual information.

Dr Maria del Mar Quiroga is a Superstar of STEM.