Natalia Porqueres

Cosmologist at CEA Saclay

I am a permanent researcher in the Cosmostat group at CEA Saclay. My research focuses on developing new statistical methods to extract information from cosmological datasets, with a particular emphasis on weak gravitational lensing as a probe of dark matter, dark energy, and the growth of cosmic structure.

Since 2026, I lead the OCAPi project, funded by an ERC Starting Grant, which develops a novel pixel-level analysis of weak lensing maps. By analysing lensing maps directly at the pixel level, this approach improves the precision of cosmological constraints and enables detailed reconstructions of the matter distribution in the Universe. OCAPi will apply this technique to data from the Euclid mission, which is one of the most advanced cosmological surveys to date. I am also actively involved in the Euclid Consortium, where I co-lead the Weak Lensing Science Working Group and coordinate the DR1 key project on high-order weak lensing statistics.

I obtained my PhD from the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, where I developed methods to reconstruct the mass distribution of the Universe using quasar spectra (Lyman-alpha forest) and designed Bayesian methods to model unknown systematics in galaxy clustering surveys. I then held a postdoctoral position at Imperial College London, and a Beecroft Fellowship at the University of Oxford, before joining CEA Saclay in December 2025.