In January 2011, I completed my Bach. and MsC. studies on Civil Engineering at the University of Granada (Spain). Afterward, I was selected as an Early Stage Researcher within the EU Marie Curie Initial Training Network (ITN) “MINSC” (Mineral Scale Formation: from the Atomic- to the Field-level) at the Institut für Mineralogie (Universität Münster, Germany). The MINSC-ITN was the first EU network in nucleation and growth processes related to mineral scale formation in the industry that combined the expertise of six universities and five private sector partners in order to train a new generation of researchers experts on the mineral scaling field. My PhD was supervised by a worldwide expert on mineral growth and dissolution processes, Prof. Andrew Putnis. During my doctorate, I studied barium sulphate scale formation, a problematic and costly process in the oil recovery industry, as well as how organic additives affect this precipitation process at the nanoscale. I defended my doctorate in December 2015, obtaining a Suma cum laude grade which is the highest possible grade within the German system.
From January 2016 to July 2016, I was a Post-Doctoral Research Associate in the Institut für Mineralogie (University of Münster) after which I took a new Post-Doc researcher position in the Physical Chemistry Department in Prof. Denis Gebauer’s group (in collaboration with Prof. Andreas Max´s group) at the University of Konstanz (August 2016). From August 2016 to May 2020, I have been working with designed proteins with the aim of controlling CaCO3 crystallization an exciting joint project supervised by Prof. Andreas Marx and Prof. Denis Gebauer. This project was part of the SFB1214 (Sonderforschungsbereich 1214: Anisotropic Particles as Building Blocks: Tailoring Shape, Interactions, and Structures).
In June 2020, I became a 5-year Zukunftstkolleg Research Fellow within the 14th call for applications. The Zukunftskolleg is an Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) that plays an essential role in the University of Konstanz's institutional strategy promoting top-level research and providing independence to early career researchers. My project at the Zukunftstkolleg focuses on understanding the crystallization of alternative cement to common Portland cement, with the aim of developing competitive binder materials with a lower CO2 footprint. This fellowship allows me to work independently on several projects and topics, collaborating locally, nationally, and internationally with renowned scientist in my field.