She holds a Chemistry degree and doctorate in Science (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM, 1995). She made her postdoctoral visit and then remained as an "associate researcher" in the group of Dr. Jeannie Chen in the Keck School of Medicine of South California University (Los Angeles, USA), from 1996 to 2007.

AMZ joined the Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas de Bellvitge (IDIBELL) as Ramón y Cajal researcher in 2007, where she leads a group investigating the retina. She is currently professor of the Physiology Department II (University of Barcelona) and teaches in Medicine and Biomedicine degree courses.

Since 1996 her research has centred on retinal photoreceptor cell response to light: the signalling processes involved, their regulation, and how genetic faults at this level lead to different forms of hereditary blindness.

She has made significant contributions in this field, having published in journals such as Science, Neuron, PNAS, PLoS Genetics and the Journal of Neuroscience. Her contribution to the science is reflected by 23 publications and many communications to international congresses, as well as directing doctoral theses and studies for Master's degree. Since she joined the Idibell-UB, AMZ has been and is the chief researcher in 5 competitive research projects.