Dr. Manuel Piñeiro is a senior scientist in INIA-CSIC. After graduating in Biology in the Universidad de Sevilla (1986), he earned his PhD in Sciences in the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (1991) working in the Centro de Biología Molecular-Severo Ochoa–CSIC. He did a postdoctoral stay in the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) between 1992 and 1994 when he was granted an EMBO postdoctoral fellowship to work in the John Innes Centre (UK). In 2001 he was awarded a Ramón y Cajal grant to start his research line in INIA where he obtained a staff scientist position in 2002. His research group is interested in i) understanding the genetic and molecular regulation of plant developmental transitions such as flowering initiation that have a direct impact on crop yield; ii) unveiling epigenetic mechanisms underlying the regulation of plant developmental processes like the floral transition, and in the adaptation of plants to fluctuating environmental conditions with emphasis in the increase on ambient temperature associated with global warming. Using Arabidopsis and oilseed rape (Brassica napus), his goal is to aid in the development of biotechnological tools for the development of crops better adapted to the challenges that climate change poses to agriculture.