Over time, Margarida’s research interests expanded to include the genetic and developmental bases of new phenotypes. That led Margarida to return to Europe and join the group of Henrik Kaessmann, first at the University of Lausanne and then at Heidelberg University. Margarida spearheaded a research program aimed at understanding the evolution of mammalian organs, for which she received the Otto-Schmeil prize from the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences in 2020.
She studies how new organs originate and how they subsequently change in form and function across species. Margarida’s group is investigating these fundamental questions by studying the placenta, an organ that has evolved independently at least 100 times across vertebrates and which shows an incredible diversity of forms and functions across different species.