Professor Edith M. Schneider (UZH/ETH) is a neuroscientist with extensive experience in neurodevelopment, neurophysiology, and cognition. She leads a research group at the University of Zurich (UZH) and the University Hospital Zurich (USZ). She is an associate professor at Laval University (Canada), the Private University of Santa Cruz de la Sierra (UPSA), and the Catholic University of La Paz (Bolivia). As a Swiss-Bolivian citizen raised in La Paz (3,600 m), her research interests focus on the effects of altitude on metabolism, development, and brain function.

Edith Schneider

She conducts studies in both animals and humans at high altitude, including the Jungfraujoch research station (3,400 m) in Switzerland and the cities of La Paz (3,600 m) and El Alto (4,100 m) in Bolivia.

Her work explores how hypoxia influences brain energy metabolism and the interaction between blood vessels, astrocytes, and neurons. She also investigates, at the molecular, morphological, and functional levels, the role of hypoxia-inducible factors in brain maturation and their neuroprotective effects in models of perinatal brain injury.

Prof. Schneider’s research on hypoxia extends to brain and cancer metabolism, respiratory control, synaptogenesis, myelination, and cognitive function. In recognition of her contributions, she was awarded Bolivia’s First Prize in Science in 2021. She also examines sex-specific effects on brain metabolism and function in animal models of neurodevelopmental disorders and in adolescents living at very high altitudes in Bolivia and Kyrgyzstan.

She supervises PhD and MSc students across her affiliated institutions and leads high-altitude expeditions aimed at understanding the impact of chronic hypoxia on adolescent cognition.

Dr. Christian Arias Reyes is a Bolivian cell and molecular biologist specializing in mitochondrial physiology, hypoxia adaptation, and the molecular foundations of high-altitude biology. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Seattle Children’s Research Institute (USA), an Associate Researcher at Universidad San Francisco Xavier (Bolivia), and an Associate Lecturer at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (Mexico).

Christian Arias Reyes

His academic path includes studies in Biology at the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (Bolivia), Medical Genetics at the Universitat de Valencia (Spain), and a Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology from Université Laval (Canada), where he established his expertise in mitochondrial physiology and experimental models of hypoxia.

Dr. Arias Reyes’ research integrates basic and translational approaches to understand how mammals respond to low-oxygen environments at physiological, cellular, and molecular levels. Using comparative rodent models, he has identified acclimatization strategies to hypoxia, highlighting adaptive shifts in mitochondrial function and bioenergetic efficiency in critical organs such as the brain and liver.

His current work focuses on mitochondrial plasticity within neural circuits and its role in sustaining brain function under chronic hypoxic stress. To uncover the molecular pathways driving these adaptations, he leverages high-resolution respirometry, biochemical, molecular, and “multiomics” strategies, including transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, to dissect the regulatory networks that govern cellular responses to hypoxia. This comprehensive approach advances our understanding of oxygen-related vulnerability and informs the development of potential therapies for neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease and Leigh syndrome.

In parallel, he collaborates with clinicians across Latin America to study the peculiarities of the physiopathology of different illnesses in high-altitude populations. His research has helped redefine clinical benchmarks for oxygen therapy and provided crucial insights into the unique vulnerabilities and strengths of highland communities.

Dr. Arias Reyes has been awarded the Pew Latin American Fellowship in the Biomedical Sciences in 2025. He is the recipient of Bolivia’s Plurinational Science and Technology Prize in 2021 and was named scholar of the Emerging Leaders of the Americas Program in 2017.

Cristian Iriarte serves as the Scientific Coordinator of MITO-MAP. He oversees the planning, execution, and monitoring of scientific projects, ensuring they align with defined objectives, timelines, and protocols.
He establishes and maintains strategic partnerships with academic, governmental, and private institutions—both nationally and internationally—to foster scientific collaboration and knowledge exchange. He manages research funds to ensure their efficient and transparent use and promotes the dissemination of findings through publications, conferences, and outreach activities.

Christian Iriarte

Cristian also provides scientific and technical guidance to institutions and research teams as needed.

As part of MITO-MAP’s international mission, Cristian coordinates the logistical and scientific aspects of visits by collaborators, students, and scientists traveling to La Paz to study high-altitude physiology. He organizes travel arrangements, accommodation, local transportation, and laboratory access.

He plans and supervises fieldwork activities at high altitude, including securing research permits, overseeing the transport of specialized equipment, and enforcing safety protocols for operations under hypoxic conditions.

Cristian acts as the main liaison between visiting teams and Bolivian institutions to streamline administrative tasks, ethical approvals, and collaborative agreements. He organizes technical workshops, scientific seminars, and public engagement events to strengthen academic exchange. Additionally, he supports the management and reporting of research data in close collaboration with project leaders and plays a key role in expanding MITO-MAP’s local and international networks to advance sustainable, high-impact research on life under chronic hypoxia.