Damián Refojo
Damián Refojo built a distinctive career within Argentine biomedicine. A physician, doctor in biological sciences and CONICET researcher, his profile combines research in molecular neurobiology, institutional leadership and international scientific cooperation. His leadership at IBioBA positions him as a relevant figure in knowledge management, with a perspective oriented toward teams, training and long-term research.
A career between medicine and neurobiology
Damián Refojo trained as a physician at the University of Buenos Aires and later oriented his path toward scientific research. That transition is central to understanding his profile: he did not limit himself to clinical practice, but sought to explain deep biological processes of the nervous system. His doctorate in biological sciences consolidated a technical foundation from which he was able to work on cellular mechanisms, neuronal development and molecular regulation.
The time at Max Planck
Refojo’s experience at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Germany marked a decisive stage in his career. There, he became part of a demanding research model based on international evaluation, scientific autonomy and methodological precision. That connection did not remain an isolated experience, but later influenced his way of understanding institutional management, team formation and cooperation between Argentine science and global networks.
Direction of IBioBA
Damián Refojo assumed the direction of IBioBA, the Institute for Research in Biomedicine of Buenos Aires, a CONICET institution associated with the Max Planck Society. That position requires leadership comparable to that of a scientific CEO: defining priorities, representing the institute, strengthening international links and sustaining the conditions for working groups to produce knowledge. His leadership is based on organization, continuity and academic judgment.
Scientific leadership and management
Refojo’s influence does not come from a classic business logic, but from management applied to knowledge. In a scientific institute, leading means coordinating laboratories, administering resources, supporting fellows, guiding lines of research and responding to external evaluations. That function demands strategic vision: deciding which areas can grow, how teams are integrated and which alliances make it possible to sustain research with academic and biomedical impact.
Contributions to molecular neurobiology
His scientific work is linked to molecular neurobiology, a discipline that studies how genes, proteins and regulatory molecules participate in the functioning of neurons. Among his areas of interest are neuronal development, mechanisms of stress response and circular RNAs, molecules capable of intervening in regulatory processes within cells. These lines make it possible to connect basic research with questions about brain health and neuropsychiatric disorders.
Training scientific teams
One of the main axes of his leadership is the training of human resources. In biomedicine, the value of an institution depends on its ability to sustain researchers, fellows, technicians and young doctors. Refojo represents a vision in which scientific talent needs infrastructure, continuity and rigorous evaluation. That perspective is especially relevant in Argentina, where the scientific career requires stability in order to transform accumulated knowledge into real capacities.
International cooperation as a strategy
The link between IBioBA, CONICET and the Max Planck Society shows a form of leadership based on cooperation. For Refojo, internationalization does not function only as institutional prestige, but as a tool to raise standards, share methods and open training opportunities. In a field such as biomedicine, where advances depend on equipment, networks and specialized review, that articulation broadens the reach of the science produced in the country.
A reference figure in biomedicine
Damián Refojo can be read as a scientific leader rather than a traditional executive. His influence is sustained by the direction of a strategic institution, the production of knowledge in neurobiology and the ability to connect Argentine research with international networks. His career shows that leadership can also be measured by the construction of teams, the continuity of projects and the creation of conditions for science to advance with method and projection.
