Belen is a pharmacist, microbiologist, and molecular epidemiologist with nine years of experience in implementation research, particularly in the field of tuberculosis.
She holds a PhD in Molecular Epidemiology and has extensive field experience in TB research. Her work at Sanger focuses on optimizing dsWGS approaches to increase sequencing yield and fill gaps in transmission chains that strain-based methods cannot resolve. She also conducts data analysis to reconstruct transmission networks and explore genomic and epidemiological patterns. In addition, she is working in a multicentric project across sub-Saharan Africa investigating the diversity and evolution of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), a neglected area in the field. Her research integrates genomic, epidemiological, and computational approaches to advance understanding of mycobacterial pathogens and inform public health strategies.