Vera Martins is a Principal Investigator at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC) since September 2015. She is recognized as a leading expert in the field of T lymphocyte and thymus development, with broad knowledge spanning from physiology to disease, including areas such as autoimmunity and leukemia. One of her groundbreaking achievements was the identification of thymic cell competition, a crucial mechanism that suppresses leukemia. Vera completed her undergraduate studies in Microbiology and Genetics at the Faculdade de Ciências - Universidade de Lisboa. She then pursued her PhD at the Max-Planck Institute for Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg, Germany, where she extensively researched early thymic progenitors, T cell lineage commitment, and central tolerance induction in the thymus. During her postdoctoral positions at the University Hospital Ulm and the German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, both in Germany, she gained valuable experience before establishing herself as an independent Group Leader at the IGC. Vera leads the Lymphocyte Development and Leukemogenesis Lab. Her work has challenged one of the central dogmas of thymus biology that stated that no cell in the thymus can self-renew. She was the first to describe cell competition in the thymus and demonstrated its role as a tumor suppressor in preventing leukemia. Notably, her research revealed that impaired cell competition in the thymus leads to the emergence of T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), which closely mimics the pediatric form of the disease. This valuable model allows for further investigation into leukemia initiation. Currently, Vera's team focuses on studying thymopoiesis under physiological conditions, particularly examining cell competition, and on the factors that contribute to leukemia development. In these topics, they have identified the specific cells involved in cell competition, as well as a small population that marks the initiation of leukemia. Currently, Vera’s team studies thymopoiesis in physiological conditions, with a strong focus on cell competition, and those enabling leukemia. Her team’s work has identified the cells that mediate cell competition, as well as the thymocytes that have the potential to self-renew to enable thymus autonomy. Further, they have identified a small population that marks leukemia initiation. The team's work and expertise are consolidated. She has successfully secured funding for her research, as well as her own salary, and has obtained a prestigious La Caixa Grant. As an independent group leader, she has contributed to the scientific community through the publication of peer-reviewed articles as well as writing a viewpoint article and a review. Vera has been invited to serve as a speaker and chair at various National and International Meetings, and she has also been invited to speak at renowned research institutes in Portugal, including Champalimaud, IMM, CEDOC, and Univ. Minho. Additionally, she has lectured at two IGC PhD Programs. Vera has played an active role in contributing to the academic community by serving as a referee in seven PhD theses, acting as the main referee for four of them. She has also served as an advisor in eight PhD Thesis Committees. In terms of supervision, as a Principal Investigator, Vera has mentored three postdoctoral fellows (one within her own lab), three PhD students (one within her own lab), six MSc students (one within her own lab), one BSc student, and seven BSc students engaged in voluntary internships. Furthermore, she has supervised four lab managers and six graduate lab assistants.