Scientific Researcher at IDAEA-CSIC (Barcelona), I am an environmental chemist specialized in the occurrence, fate, transport and effects of organic pollutants in the environment. My research has focused on the analysis of persistent and emerging organic contaminants across a wide range of environmental compartments, including air, water, sediments, soils, atmospheric deposition and biota, from remote high-mountain ecosystems to urban and industrial environments.
A major part of my career has been devoted to investigating the long-range atmospheric transport of persistent organic pollutants and their accumulation in remote mountain lakes, which serve as sentinel ecosystems for assessing global diffuse pollution. This research, developed over more than a decade through four consecutive EU-funded projects, has contributed to improving our understanding of the environmental fate and distribution of contaminants such as organochlorine compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and organophosphate compounds.
My current research focuses on three main areas: (i) the fate and transport of persistent organic pollutants to remote regions; (ii) the toxicological implications of diffuse environmental pollution; and (iii) the characterization of submicron organic matter and volatile organic compounds in urban and rural atmospheres, with particular emphasis on their implications for air quality and human health.
In addition to research, I have supervised 10 PhD theses, 11 Master’s theses and 2 Bachelor’s theses. In additon, I regularly participate in postgraduate teaching at universities in Spain and South America and actively engage in science outreach. Since 2010, I have been a member of the organizing committee of the annual “Women and Science Conferences”, an initiative dedicated to promoting the visibility and role of women in scientific research.
