Ecotoxicology and microbial contamination
The Ecotoxicology and Microbiological Contamination group addresses three areas of research:
1.- Assessment of the risks to ecosystems determined by pollutants and their interactions with the environment, considering the vulnerability of people, populations and communities to chemical and non-chemical stressors.
2.- Microbial ecology of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems through molecular biology tools and development of nature-based technologies for water treatment:
- Monitoring of cyanobacterial proliferations in aquatic ecosystems and detection and biodegradation of cyanotoxins.
- Biodiversity and molecular mechanisms of microbial adaptation to environmental changes.
3.- Studies of the impact of contaminants (pesticides, antibiotics and biocides) on microorganisms and resistance to antibiotics in aquatic environments:
- Potential effect of contaminants on bacterial populations.
- Detection of antibiotic resistant bacteria and resistance genes.
- Fitness cost linked to the acquisition of antibiotic resistance.
- Resistance gene transfer and the role of contaminants.
What do we do?
In 2015, the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This Agenda has 17 Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by all UN Member States, which are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere.
The research carried out by the group contributes to achieving the following Sustainable Development Goals:
Research team
Dr. Andreu Rico Artero
Researcher. University of Valencia
Dra. María Blanca Sánchez Martínez
Researcher
Dra. Mª Ángeles Lezcano Vega
Researcher
Marco Vighi
Expert researcher in ecotoxicology
Dra. Paula Elisa Redondo Hasselerharm
Researcher
Dr. Pablo Urrutia Cordero
Researcher
Dr. Jesús Morón López
Postdoctoral Researcher at the Arizona State University (ASU) in the USA
Dr. Theresa Schell
Research Assistant
Ángel Guillermo Pompa Pernía
Research Assistant
Sara Martínez Pérez
Predoctoral researcher
Lorena Martínez García
Research Assistant
Daniel Franco López
Research Assistant
Dr. Andreu Rico Artero
Researcher. University of Valencia
Andreu Rico obtained his PhD on Environmental Sciences, with specialization on aquatic ecology and ecotoxicology, from Wageningen University (the Netherlands). In 2015 he joined the Ecotoxicology group of the IMDEA Water Institute, which he currently leads.
See full profile- andreu.rico@imdea.org
- IMDEA Water. Avenida Punto Com, 2. Parque Científico Tecnológico de la Universidad de Alcalá. Alcalá de Henares. 28805 MADRID
Dra. María Blanca Sánchez Martínez
Researcher
Dr. Sánchez obtained her M.Sc. in Biochemistry from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM). In 2005, she obtained her PhD in Molecular Biology from UAM, studying antibiotic biosynthesis regulation and resistance mechanisms by antibiotic producing microorganisms.
- blanca.sanchez@imdea.org
- IMDEA Water. Avenida Punto Com, 2. Parque Científico Tecnológico de la Universidad de Alcalá. Alcalá de Henares. 28805 MADRID
Dra. Mª Ángeles Lezcano Vega
Researcher
PhD in Microbiology at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) (2017), European Master in Inland Water Quality Assessment at UAM and University of Mälardalen (Sweden) (2011) and degree in Environmental Sciences at UAM (2009).
- mangeles.lezcano@imdea.org
- IMDEA Water. Avenida Punto Com, 2. Parque Científico Tecnológico de la Universidad de Alcalá. Alcalá de Henares. 28805 MADRID
Marco Vighi
Expert researcher in ecotoxicology
After getting the degree in Biology in 1969, Marco Vighi worked at the Water Research Institute of the Italian National Research Council. In 1983 he was professor of Ecotoxicology at the University of Milano. In 1998 he moved to the University of Milano-Bicocca, as professor of Ecology and Applied Ecology and responsible of the Research Group on Ecotoxicology up to 2015, when he retired.
- marco.vighi@imdea.org
- IMDEA Water. Avenida Punto Com, 2. Parque Científico Tecnológico de la Universidad de Alcalá. Alcalá de Henares. 28805 MADRID
Dra. Paula Elisa Redondo Hasselerharm
Researcher
She has a bachelor`s degree in Biology from the Autonomous University of Madrid and a master`s dregree in Water Quality Techniques and Sciences from University of Granada. In 2020, she obtained a PhD in Environmental Sciences at the University of Wageningen (The Netherlands), which she carried out in the Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management group.
- paula.redondo@imdea.org
- IMDEA Water. Avenida Punto Com, 2. Parque Científico Tecnológico de la Universidad de Alcalá. Alcalá de Henares. 28805 MADRID
Dr. Pablo Urrutia Cordero
Researcher
PhD in Environmental Sciences from Lund University (2012-2016), where he worked with nature-based solutions to mitigate toxic cyanobacterial blooms in lakes. His research at IMDEA Water centers on understanding causes and consequences of biodiversity change, with an emphasis on how water quality degradation affects the functioning of both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems (e.g., pollinator communities).
- pablo.urrutia@imdea.org
- IMDEA Water. Avenida Punto Com, 2. Parque Científico Tecnológico de la Universidad de Alcalá. Alcalá de Henares. 28805 MADRID
Dr. Jesús Morón López
Postdoctoral Researcher at the Arizona State University (ASU) in the USA
Jesús holds a BSc in Biology (2012) and a MSc in Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology from the University of Seville (2013). He obtained his PhD degree in Hydrology and Water Resources Management from the University of Alcalá in 2019 after 5 years at the IMDEA Water Institute. Since July 2023, Jesús is working as a postdoctoral researcher at Arizona State University (ASU) in the USA. He is involved in several research projects related to the use of nanobubbles for water treatment, including harmful algae removal, aquaculture or hydroponic crop improvement.
See full profile- jesus.moron@imdea.org
- IMDEA Water. Avenida Punto Com, 2. Parque Científico Tecnológico de la Universidad de Alcalá. Alcalá de Henares. 28805 MADRID
Dr. Theresa Schell
Research Assistant
Theresa received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science in 2013 and a Master of Science in Ecotoxicology in 2016 from the University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany. As part of the Master’s she participated in two scientific internships, one as a student intern and field assistant at Rifcon GmbH, Germany and one at the University of New Brunswick, Canada.
- theresa.schell@imdea.org
- IMDEA Water. Avenida Punto Com, 2. Parque Científico Tecnológico de la Universidad de Alcalá. Alcalá de Henares. 28805 MADRID
Ángel Guillermo Pompa Pernía
Research Assistant
He received his Bachelor Degree in Biomedical Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Havana (CUJAE) and his Master Degree in Electronic Systems Engineering from University Carlos III of Madrid.
- angelg.pompa@imdea.org
- IMDEA Water. Avenida Punto Com, 2. Parque Científico Tecnológico de la Universidad de Alcalá. Alcalá de Henares. 28805 MADRID
Sara Martínez Pérez
Predoctoral researcher
Graduated in Environmental Sciences at Rey Juan Carlos University (2017) with a Master in Ecology at Autonomous University of Madrid (2019).
- sara.martinez@imdea.org
- IMDEA Water. Avenida Punto Com, 2. Alcalá de Henares. 28805 MADRID
Lorena Martínez García
Research Assistant
Graduated in Biology from the University of Santiago de Compostela (2018) and Master´s degree in Biotechnology from the Autonomous University of Madrid (2019).
- lorena.martinez@imdea.org
- IMDEA Water. Avenida Punto Com, 2. Parque Científico Tecnológico de la Universidad de Alcalá. Alcalá de Henares. 28805 MADRID
Daniel Franco López
Research Assistant
He´s graduated in Biology at University of Alcalá (2019). In his last year Daniel was the beneficiary of an Erasmus+ grant where he was able to carry out his final year studies at the University of Aveiro in Portugal.
- daniel.franco@imdea.org
- IMDEA Water. Avenida Punto Com, 2. Parque Científico Tecnológico de la Universidad de Alcalá. Alcalá de Henares. 28805 MADRID
