On 16 September, Raquel Catalán Carrió successfully defended her PhD at the University of the Basque Country. Many congratulations on this outstanding achievement, Raquel! It was an excellent defense, reflecting the depth and impact of her work.

The examination committee was composed of Assoc. Prof. Larisa Florea (Trinity College Dublin), Prof. Carmen Blanco (University of Oviedo), and Assoc. Prof. Naiara Rojo (University of the Basque Country).

Her thesis, entitled “Development of Autonomous and Portable Devices for the Detection of Biomolecules and Pollutants in Solution”, was supervised by Prof. Lourdes Basabe-Desmonts and Assoc. Prof. Fernando Benito López.

Thesis Summary
Our planet is facing a severe water crisis that threatens billions of people as the availability of clean water diminishes due to climate change, population growth, and pollution. Clean water is not only essential for human health but also for sustaining ecosystems, making it critical to protect and conserve this resource. Alongside reducing wastage, innovative, rapid, and affordable technologies are urgently needed to safeguard water quality. Raquel’s research explores the use of microfluidic portable devices as complementary tools to traditional analysis methods, providing on-site, efficient solutions for water quality monitoring.

We wish Raquel all the very best in her future career!