Research Highlights Evguenia P. Bekman is a stem cell biologist specializing in human iPSC-based models of neurodevelopment and neurological disorders, with particular expertise in cerebellar organoid systems. Her work integrates genome engineering, pluripotent stem cell technology, and advanced neuronal differentiation models to study mechanisms of early brain development. She leads research on cerebellar organoid models of Angelman syndrome at Egas Moniz Center for Interdisciplinary Research in collaboration with the Stem Cell Epigenetics Lab (iBB/IST) and coordinates the PINEAS project investigating bioactive compounds from pine resin extracts as potential therapeutic approaches for Angelman syndrome. Evguenia P. Bekman obtained a PhD in Biomedical Sciences (1999) from the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, and a Master’s degree in Biology (Animal Physiology and Embryology) from Lomonosov Moscow State University (1989). She is currently a senior researcher at the Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences (iBB), Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, and an Assistant Professor at the Egas Moniz School of Health and Science, where she teaches Molecular and Cellular Biology, Validation of Forensic Laboratory Methods, and Animal Biology. Her research focuses on developing human stem cell–based models of neurodevelopment and neurological disorders, integrating pluripotent stem cell technologies, genome engineering, and advanced neuronal differentiation systems. Her early work established experimental platforms for neuronal differentiation from embryonic stem cells and led to a highly cited study describing transcriptional signatures of neural progenitors derived in vitro that recapitulate embryonic development (Abranches et al., 2009). Building on this foundation, she has developed stem cell–based experimental systems combining genome engineering approaches, including BAC recombineering and CRISPR/Cas9, with engineered pluripotent stem cell lines. Since 2016, her research has focused on the development of human cerebellar organoid models derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to investigate mechanisms of cerebellar development and neurological disease. This work includes the establishment of experimental platforms to study neuronal maturation, cerebellar circuitry formation, and environmental influences on early brain development (Silva et al., 2020, 2021; Miranda et al., 2020). Her current research applies these models to the study of Angelman syndrome, aiming to identify disease mechanisms and explore therapeutic strategies using human cerebellar organoid systems. This work is conducted in collaboration with the Stem Cell Epigenetics Lab at iBB/IST and is supported by funding from the European Angelman Syndrome Alliance (2021). She also coordinates the PINEAS project, which investigates the therapeutic potential and molecular mechanisms of bioactive compounds from pine resin extracts for Angelman syndrome, combining advanced chemical characterization with functional studies in human neuronal models. Her publication record includes 32 research articles in peer-reviewed journals and three book chapters, with over 1,300 citations and an h-index of 18 (Scopus). Her work has contributed to the establishment of multidisciplinary collaborations in stem cell biology, neurodevelopment, and rare disease research. In addition to research and teaching, she is actively involved in science communication and rare disease awareness initiatives, collaborating with the Portuguese Angelman Syndrome Association (Angel.pt).