Marta Kovatcheva is a Tenure-Track Group Leader at IFOM in Milan, Italy, where her research is focused on the role of cell plasticity in cancer initiation, progression, and therapy response, particularly in the context of aging. Kovatcheva obtained her BSc in Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto, where she completed her undergraduate thesis with Dr. Daniel Durocher. She obtained her PhD at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center under the supervision of Dr. Andrew Koff. Marta’s thesis investigated the molecular basis for the clinical outcome of CDK4/6 inhibitor drugs in sarcoma, which she found was related to the capacity of tumor cells to enter into cellular senescence. She carried out her postdoctoral research with Dr. Manuel Serrano at the IRB Barcelona, where her work continued in senescence biology, advancing our understanding of the metabolic adaptations of senescent cells in aging and cancer. Simultaneously, Kovatcheva became interested in cell plasticity, using Yamanaka Factor reprogramming in vivo as a model. She uncovered novel metabolic and epigenetic regulators of in vivo reprogramming, and went on to demonstrate the relevance of these mechanisms in pathophysiologic cell plasticity and enhancing tissue repair in the mammalian intestine. In 2025, Marta was awarded the EACR-Mark Foundation-Pezcoller Foundation Rising Star Award. She is an elected Steering Committee member of the International Cell Senescence Association, where she also chairs the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion working group. Marta is passionate about mentorship and scientific outreach, and strive to make science accessible and equitable for people of multi-faceted backgrounds.