# Mar Roca Cugat

**Biomedical Sciences Researcher, Student & Educational Advisor**

Graduate researcher in toxicology at Maastricht University passionate about cell biology, toxicology, genomics, and bio-image informatics. Active open-source developer building multi-agent research pipelines, automated laboratory analysis workflows, and embedded IoT tools. Experienced in academic governance and educational leadership within the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences (FHML).

## Contact & Links
- **Location:** Maastricht, Netherlands
- **Email:** m.rocacugat@student.maastrichtuniversity.nl
- **GitHub:** https://github.com/peiprjs
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/in/mar-roca-cugat/
- **Google Scholar:** https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ocdBqTwAAAAJ
- **ORCID:** https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8796-8396

## Education & Learning

### Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences
*Maastricht University Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences | Maastricht, Netherlands | 2023 – 2026*

Focusing on toxicology, genomics, molecular biology, and biomedical data analysis. Active in educational improvement and open-access protocol standardization.

[Link](https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl)

**Tags:** Biomedical Sciences, Toxicology, Genomics, Cell Biology, Problem-Based Learning

### Radiation Protection Officer (TMS-VRS D)
*Maastricht University (FHML - Radiation Protection Unit Randwyck) | Maastricht, NL | Sep 2025 – Oct 2025*

Specialized certification for handling dispersible radioactive substances level D safely within biomedical research laboratories.

[Link](https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl)

**Tags:** Radiation Safety, Laboratory Safety, Compliance, Biomedical Engineering

### Basic Course Quality Assurance for SEP-Members
*Maastricht University (Onderwijs Instituut) | Maastricht, NL | Dec 2023*

Training on educational quality assurance, student evaluation panels, and providing structured feedback to improve higher education curricula.

**Tags:** Quality Assurance, Education Policy, Academic Governance

### International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme & Batxillerat
*INS Jaume Vicens Vives / International Baccalaureate | Girona, Spain | 2021 – 2023*

Rigorous bilingual secondary education program combining the IB Diploma and Spanish Batxillerat with a strong focus on experimental sciences and mathematics.

**Tags:** International Baccalaureate, Sciences, Mathematics, Bilingual Education

## Certifications & Distinctions

### Q1 + 3rd Place in Subregionals (Catalan Biology Olympiad)
*Col·legi de Biòlegs de Catalunya | Feb 2023*

Achieved top placement in the regional phase of the Catalan Biology Olympiad, demonstrating advanced competency in molecular and organismal biology.

**Tags:** Biology Olympiad, Distinction, Genetics, Cell Biology

### Top 50 - Regional Selection (Physics Olympiad)
*Societat Catalana de Física | Feb 2023*

Selected among the top 50 pre-regional participants in the Catalan Physics Olympiad.

**Tags:** Physics, Olympiad, Distinction, Mathematics

### Probability - First Place (DITMAE)
*Institut d'Estudis Catalans | Mar 2022*

First place award in probability and mathematical modeling at the Dissabte Transfronterer de les Matemàtiques a l'Alt Empordà.

**Tags:** Mathematics, Probability, Competition, First Place

### Categoria IDESCAT - First Place (Planter d'Estadística)
*Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya | May 2021*

First place award for statistical research report on population health and sedentary behavior among youth.

**Tags:** Statistics, Data Analysis, Research Report, First Place

### First Aid Certificate
*Generalitat de Catalunya Servei Català de la Salut (SEM) | Aug 2018*

Certified emergency first aid training administered by the Medical Emergency Service of Catalonia.

**Tags:** First Aid, Emergency Response, Health & Safety

## Professional Experience

### Laboratory and Teaching Assistant
*Maastricht University (Onderwijsinstituut FHML) | Maastricht, NL | Sep 2024 – Present*

Assisting in practical laboratory sessions, guiding undergraduate students in biomedical techniques, and digitizing standardized experimental protocols for the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences.

[Link](https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl)

**Tags:** Biomedical Sciences, Laboratory Instruction, Wet Lab, Protocols.io, Teaching

### Head of Education
*Study Association Helix | Maastricht, NL | Jun 2025 – Jun 2026*

Representing biomedical sciences student interests, managing educational quality assurance initiatives, and collaborating with faculty administration on curriculum development.

[Link](https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl)

**Tags:** Academic Governance, Student Leadership, Curriculum Development, Higher Education

### Department Co-Manager & Software Developer
*PGamerX Legacy | Remote | Nov 2021 – Sep 2023*

Co-managed the automation software development department and engineered open-source applications and high-availability Discord bots for community and developer workflows.

[Link](https://github.com/PGamerX-Legacy/muser)

**Tags:** JavaScript, Node.js, Automation, Software Development, Team Management

### Technical Support Agent
*Something Host | Remote | Aug 2020 – Dec 2020*

Provided technical support, troubleshooting, and server deployment assistance for cloud and web hosting infrastructure clients.

**Tags:** Linux, Server Administration, Technical Support, Networking

## Community, Governance & Leadership

### Co-organizer
*Friquis X Ciència | Sant Pere de Ribes, ES | Feb 2020 – Present*

Co-organizing science communication initiatives, public engagement events, and educational workshops to bridge science and community.

[Link](https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8796-8396)

**Tags:** Science Communication, Public Engagement, Community Outreach, Organization

### Club Organizer
*HackClub | Shelburne, VT, US | Sep 2022 – Aug 2023*

Facilitated coding workshops, hardware hacking sessions, and peer programming projects for youth developers.

**Tags:** Coding Club, Youth Mentorship, Hardware Hacking, Community Leadership

### Journalist & Public Relations
*INS Jaume Vicens Vives | Girona, Catalunya, ES | Sep 2021 – Aug 2023*

Managed public relations and authored school journal articles covering academic achievements, scientific developments, and student life.

**Tags:** Public Relations, Journalism, Communication, Writing

### Collection Curator (Geology and Natural History)
*INS Jaume Vicens Vives | Girona, Catalunya, ES | Sep 2021 – Jun 2022*

Curated, cataloged, and maintained geological and natural history specimens for educational exhibition and classroom instruction.

**Tags:** Curation, Geology, Natural History, Museum Studies

### Volunteer in Lèxcit
*Generalitat de Catalunya (Escola Annexa) | Girona, Catalunya, ES | Sep 2021 – Jun 2022*

Volunteered in reading and literacy support programs for children to improve linguistic comprehension and academic success.

**Tags:** Volunteer, Literacy, Education, Community Support

### Teaching Assistant for English
*Departament d'Ensenyament (Escola Annexa) | Girona, Catalunya, ES | Sep 2021 – Jun 2022*

Assisted teachers in conducting interactive English language classes and conversational practice for primary students.

**Tags:** Teaching Assistant, English Language, Pedagogy, Volunteering

## Key Projects & Published Works

### Transwell Image Processing Scripts
*Zenodo / Open Source Research Software | Jun 2026*

Automated image processing scripts designed for quantifying and analyzing Transwell migration and invasion assays. Published with open-access archival via CERN/Zenodo (**DOI: 10.5281/ZENODO.20741673**).

[Link](https://github.com/Peiprjs/Transwell-Image-Processing-Scripts)

**Tags:** Image Processing, Bioinformatics, Cell Biology, Open Science, Zenodo

### Imaging Cardiac Arrhythmia in Zebrafish Genetic Disease Models
*Protocols.io (Maastricht University) | Mar 2026*

Co-authored standardized open-access laboratory protocol detailing high-resolution optical imaging of cardiac arrhythmia in zebrafish embryo disease models (**DOI: 10.17504/protocols.io.yxmvm1j75v3p/v1**).

[Link](https://www.protocols.io/view/imaging-cardiac-arrhythmia-in-genetic-disease-mode-yxmvm1j75v3p/v1)

**Tags:** Zebrafish Models, Cardiology, Microscopy, Genetics, Protocols.io

### Predator-Eater: Predatory Journal Detector
*Open Source Initiative | 2026*

A cross-browser extension for Firefox and Google Chrome that automatically detects and alerts researchers when viewing potentially predatory academic journals.

[Link](https://github.com/Peiprjs/Predator-Eater)

**Tags:** JavaScript, Browser Extension, Academic Integrity, Open Source, Web Extensions

### TCGA-CDK-Analysis: Genomics Data Pipeline
*Maastricht University Research Build | 2026*

Computational genomics and transcriptomics analysis investigating Cyclin-Dependent Kinases (CDKs) across The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets.

[Link](https://github.com/Peiprjs/TCGA-CDK-analysis)

**Tags:** Genomics, TCGA, Bioinformatics, Data Analysis, Oncology

### Staphylococcus Aureus Sampling Protocol
*Protocols.io | Sep 2022*

Peer-reviewed open-access methodology protocol covering sampling, isolation, and processing of Staphylococcus Aureus cultures (**DOI: dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.81wgb6pk1lpk/v10**).

[Link](https://www.protocols.io)

**Tags:** Microbiology, Bacteriology, Methodology, Protocols.io, Wet Lab

### Autonomous Multi-Agent Literature Review System
*Personal Research Tooling | 2026*

Local LLM-driven multi-agent pipeline (CrewAI & lightweight local models) for conducting systematic scoping reviews, featuring automated RIS citation exports for Zotero, Obsidian knowledge vault generation, and an interactive Streamlit dashboard.

**Tags:** Python, CrewAI, Streamlit, Local LLMs, Obsidian, Zotero

## Core Skills & Expertise

**Hard Skills:** Python & Bio-Image Informatics, Genomics Data Pipelines (TCGA, NGS), Laboratory Wet-Lab Techniques & Protocols, Multi-Agent AI Pipelines (CrewAI & Local LLMs), JavaScript, Node.js & Browser Extensions, Image Processing & Cell Migration Assays, Linux Systems & Cloud Infrastructure, Embedded Hardware & IoT (Raspberry Pi)

**Soft Skills:** Academic Governance & Faculty Representation, Educational Leadership & Teaching Assistance, Hackathon Management & Event Orchestration, Scientific Protocol Writing & Documentation, Cross-Functional Research Collaboration, Student Advocacy & Educational Quality Assurance, Presenting skills, Teamwork

**Languages:** Catalan (C2), Spanish (C2), English (C2), Dutch (B2), French (A2), Japanese (N5)

## Interests & Pursuits

### Open-Source Development & AI Tooling
*Independent Developer | Present*

Building developer utilities, browser extensions, and multi-agent AI pipelines with over 8,800 GitHub commits and active open-science contributions.

**Tags:** Open Source, Python, JavaScript, AI Systems, GitHub

### Bio-Image Informatics & Data Visualization
*Maastricht University Research | Present*

Exploring automated microscopy image processing, biological dataset pipelines, and interactive Streamlit dashboards for scientific research.

**Tags:** Bioinformatics, Microscopy, Streamlit, Data Science

### Multilingual Communication & Linguistics
*Self-Directed | Ongoing*

Passionate about languages and cross-cultural communication. Fluent in Catalan, Spanish, and English (C2), with professional working proficiency in Dutch (B2) and foundational knowledge in French and Esperanto.

**Tags:** Linguistics, Multilingual, Catalan, Spanish, English, Dutch