About me

I am a microbial ecologist focused on major biogeochemical cycles in extreme environments. Currently, I serve as an Assistant Professor of Environmental Biotechnology at the University of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain) in the Department of Science and Agroforestry Technology and Genetics [webpage]. My research primarily centers on polar and arid regions, with a particular focus on Arctic and hypersaline lakes, both of which play significant roles in global carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur cycles.

Microbes are the main drivers of biogeochemical cycles, with an even more pronounced impact in extreme environments such as ice-cold and saline lakes, where they are central to ecosystem development. This raises key questions: Which microbes are responsible for shaping these environments? What processes can they perform? How do they respond to environmental changes over both short and long timescales?

It is therefore essential to investigate how patterns in biodiversity and functional traits shift in response to environmental drivers (e.g., climate change, nutrient enrichment), particularly in ecosystems highly vulnerable to environmental shifts. Linking microbial community composition with major biogeochemical processes is critical for understanding ecosystem functioning from informing climate change projections to advancing bioremediation technologies.

My past research and projects involve a variety of topics such as nutrient enrichment, permafrost thaw or glacier retreat in a wide variety of locations worldwide (e.g. Northwest Territories, Svalbard, Finnmark, Southern Spain). For more info, click here.