I am a marine microbial ecologist interested in understanding the diversity, function, and connectivity of microbial communities across the land-ocean interface. I obtained my PhD at the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), where my research focused on microbial communities inhabiting coastal aquifers and subterranean estuaries, and on how submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) influences their diversity, biogeography, and role in biogeochemical cycles.

My research combines microbial ecology, molecular techniques, bioinformatics, and environmental and biogeochemical data to understand how hydrogeochemical gradients shape microbial communities and their functional potential. During my PhD, I worked across contrasting coastal systems, from pristine subterranean estuaries to anthropogenically impacted environments, with particular interest in microbial connectivity between groundwater and the ocean and in microorganisms involved in nitrogen cycling.

My broader research interests include marine and groundwater microbial ecology, microbial biogeography, biogeochemical cycling, and the application of sequencing and bioinformatic approaches to investigate microbial communities. Before my PhD, I studied Biology at the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC) and completed a Master’s degree in Advanced Microbiology at the Universitat de Barcelona (UB). My previous research at the ICM included the study of bacterial communities associated with the Tagoro submarine volcano, nitrogen fixation genes in samples from the MALASPINA expedition, and microbial responses to marine pollutants.

Outside research, I enjoy reading, hiking, surfing, and snorkeling.