Belén González Gaya

Belén González Gaya

PhD Researcher

PhD in Environmental Science
Faculty of Science & Technology | Plentzia Marine Station (PIE)

I come from a multidisciplinary background of Environmental Sciences, including national and international experiences (Italy, Argentina, Netherlands, Portugal, and several locations in Spain, Barcelona, Madrid, Murcia, Basque Country) related with water quality and aquatic ecology, which join the fields of analytical chemistry, microbiology, and ecotoxicology. My research primarily focuses on the sources and effects of legacy pollutants, but also of compounds of emerging concern (such as personal care and pharmaceutical products, antibiotics, industrial and domestic chemicals, etc.). My field of expertise embraces the occurrence and fate of pollutants from not only a chemical point of view but also from a health perspective taking into account biological accumulation, transfer modelling and effects into wild biota, trophic chains and humans, which aims to enhance management of chemicals from a One Health perspective using the more recent and interdisciplinary available tools.

After and international master at the University of Wageningen (Netherlands) and a PhD in Marine Sciences developed at the IDAEA-CSIC (Barcelona), I have enjoyed so far 4 postdoctoral experiences at: 1)IQOG-CSIC (Madrid) on the Environmental Vigilance Plan for the application of the Stockholm Convention in Spain; 2) IMDEA Water (Alcalá de Henares), within the European Project H2020 TAPAS, including a stage at the University of Murcia (Murcia); and 3) a Juan de la Cierva Formación fellowship at the Marine Station of Plentzia (Basque Country University, EHU/UPV), during which I was funded for an ASSEMBLE Plus stage at CIIMAR (Portugal). Since July 2020, I keep my research in this institution thanks to an (4) EHU/UPV postdoctoral position, followed by two consecutive self-funded contracts thanks to a national Retos Investigación project (Aquasomic, MICIN, 2020) and a Generacion del Conocimiento (HOBE, MICIN 2022).

During my scientific career, I have published 27 peer-reviewed articles in Q1 journals (including Nature Geosciences, Nature Communications, and Scientific Reports) and 4 book chapters, with more than 900 citations (h-index 16). I have defended 94 works (poster and oral platforms) and chaired 2 sessions at international symposia including 9 SETAC editions in Europe and USA, Goldschmidt, CICTA, SIBECOL, PRIMO, EMEC, ASLO to show the results obtained in the 20 national and international projects (three as main IP) I was part of, added to 3 industry based funded projects. I have done extensive field campaigns in oceanographic cruises including a circumnavigation (Malaspina Project, Hesperides) and an Antarctic expedition (ExplorantIII, Commandant Charcot). I perform frequent reviewing activities in outstanding journals such as Nature Geoscience, Environmental Science and Technology, Environmental Pollution, Science of the Total Environment, Atmospheric Environment and Trends in Analytical Chemistry among others. At a national scale, I belong to the Joint Research Laboratory on Environmental Antibiotic Resistance, aiming at reducing the impact of antibiotics in the environment under the One Health approach. On an international level, I am part of the European Marine Biological Research Infrastructure Cluster (EMBRIC). This network facilitates access to and advanced research to 45 leading European marine stations in 9 countries, having hosted myself already 3 international collaborations. I am member of SETAC (Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry) Europe Risk Communication group and part of the Steering committee for PFAS evaluation inside the NORMAN Network (Network of reference laboratories, research centers and related organizations for monitoring of emerging environmental substances).

I have participated and coordinated more than 40 interventions related with scientific outreach; including fairs, workshops, school seminars, mentoring, radio and tv shows, podcasts, including the co-authoring of a children scientific tale. I am now co-managing by a second consecutive call a FECYT funded project on Citizen Science.

Finally, I have supervised until today 30 master and bachelor thesis and short practicals and I am co-directing a PhD. Moreover, I teach courses and supervise students from the Chemistry, Physics and Geology degree at the University of the Basque Country and in 3 international Masters.

All these activities have been awarded with 5 prizes including symposia presentations, invitations and outreaching awards, such; Travel Award from Separations journal by MPDI Editorial; Invited Early Career Researcher at 4th Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences; We are scientist, alive show! Outreaching contest on the Women and Girl in Science International day by Caixa Forum; and Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water Scholarship at the 18th European Meeting on Environmental Chemistry.

Besides, I have obtained the 1.Accreditation of the figure of PhD Researcher personal (Personal Doctor Investigador) in the field of experimental sciences (resolution of May 17th 2022), by UNIBASQUE, 2. Accreditation of the figure of Associate Professor (Profesorado Agregado) in the field of experimental sciences (resolution of May 17th 2022), by UNIBASQUE, and 3.R3 positive certification according to the second resolution of the 2023 call for stablished researchers (ref. CR32023-041338).