BIOMA Strengthens Its Strategy to Attract Talent with Six New Hires

The BIOMA Institute is starting the academic year with six new hires who expand its scientific capabilities and strengthen its interdisciplinary nature. The arrival of these researchers is part of a growing commitment to attracting talent, bringing in international experience, and opening new lines of research in areas that are strategic for the Institute.

These new hires combine the acquisition of highly competitive funding with the University of Navarra’s commitment to recruiting and retaining researchers capable of opening new lines of work. Three of the new researchers are joining through Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions, one through the Ramón y Cajal program, and two others are joining with the University’s support.

Beyond the numbers, these six profiles expand BIOMA’s scientific scope and strengthen connections between fields that have traditionally operated more independently: biodiversity and data science, microbiology and environmental health, Chemistry and emerging pollution, bioelectrochemistry and Economics the circular economy, and materials science and architecture.

group Six Profiles, New Capabilities
Reshma Krishnan Madathil, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie researcher, has joined the Department of research (DPC) at the ETSA’s Center for design and Creative Processes (DPC) to develop the project BITES, which focuses on the integration of thermoelectric systems into buildings. Her work connects materials science, energy efficiency, and climate change adaptation, and opens up new possibilities for partnership between engineering, architecture, and sustainability.

Through a Marie Skłodowska-Curie “ scholarship ” grant at the DPC’s group , María Bárbara Orlowska will lead the eRISIKO project , aimed at improving fire safety in buildings in light of the growing number of electric vehicles. The project will combine artificial intelligence, experimentation, and regulatory analysis to develop dynamic risk assessment tools.

Chemist Frank Sznaider is also joining the team with a Marie Skłodowska- scholarship ship to develop REPAIR at the Integrated Environmental Quality laboratory (LICA). This project will reconstruct air pollution from microplastics and PFAS over the past five decades and assess the risks associated with their inhalation. His arrival strengthens an emerging research area at BIOMA focused on pollutants of growing concern and their environmental and health impacts.

“I am very grateful and excited about this new academic chapter here at BIOMA and about the REPAIR project in particular. Emerging contaminants are unfortunately on the rise today, not only in the academic community but also in the public consciousness. I believe that the project REPAIR can be significant not only for its findings on air pollution from microplastics and PFAS, but also for what the work of research entails and the importance of basic science in a global context where it is on the decline,” says Frank.

Md Tabish Noori is joining LICA through the Ramón y Cajal program. A specialist in bioelectrochemical systems, microbial catalysis, and microalgae biotechnology, he will work on using microorganisms to convert waste, wastewater, and CO₂ into energy, chemicals, and new materials. His research will strengthen the Institute’s capabilities in the circular bioeconomy and waste recovery.

Imanol Miqueleiz returns to the University of Navarra after four years of postdoctoral research ship at Cornell University. His appointment to the group Biodiversity Data Analytics and Environmental Quality (BEQ) will help strengthen the integration of biodiversity, big instructions from data, modeling, and artificial intelligence applied to conservation. His research work will include the planning of river conservation networks and the analysis of freshwater biodiversity’s response to global change.

“I’m joining the Institute with great enthusiasm to introduce new lines of research, collaborate with the teaching within the faculty, and train future researchers, to whom I hope to instill a passion for science and biodiversity conservation,” says Imanol.

For her part, Sara Gallego Blanco joins the team with extensive international experience in environmental microbiology and microbial ecology. Her research will focus on studying how pollutants and various agricultural practices affect biodiversity and the health of soil and plants, with a special focus on microbial communities and antimicrobial resistance.

“In this new phase, I hope to consolidate my ‘ research ’ line and develop new collaborations. I also hope to contribute to a better understanding of the challenges related to soil health and agricultural sustainability,” says Sara.

These new additions not only expand the range of research areas at research but also open up new possibilities for partnership within the Institute itself. The diversity of profiles fosters the development of projects capable of addressing complex environmental problems from complementary perspectives and bridging the gap between knowledge basic research, quantitative tools, technology, and applications in health, conservation, and sustainability.

The BIOMA Institute aims to consolidate this commitment to attracting talent as one of the cornerstones of its scientific growth in the coming years, creating an environment capable of bringing in top-tier professionals, facilitating their interaction with existing research groups, and transforming those connections into new capabilities, collaborative projects, and funding opportunities.

With these six new additions, BIOMA is kicking off the academic year by strengthening a strategy aimed at growing not only in terms of the issue of researchers, but also in terms of the diversity of approaches, partnership , and scientific impact.