Research Interests
My primary research interests are in the broad field of galaxy formation and evolution, particularly in understanding the role that active galactic nuclei (AGN) play in galaxy formation and evolution, the feeding and feedback processes in galaxies, the star-formation–AGN connection, and the physical conditions of the interstellar medium (ISM).
Since 2024, I have been a senior postdoctoral fellow under the Atracción de Talento Investigador “César Nombela” program at the Centro de Astrobiología (CAB). Before that, I held a postdoctoral position at the University of Oxford for five years. Previously, I was a postdoctoral researcher at IFCA-CSIC and a postdoctoral fellow at Durham University. During my PhD, I was awarded a La Caixa–Severo Ochoa fellowship (self-funded), which I completed at the IAC/ULL in November 2017.
My research has been published in more than 80 refereed papers, accumulating over 1,500 citations. I have presented my work at numerous international conferences and seminars (>10 invited talks, >20 contributed talks, and >10 invited seminars). My research has received significant media attention, with press releases issued by the University of Oxford and the IAC, as well as coverage on international platforms (e.g. phys.org) and newsletters (e.g. AstroPAH Newsletter, where my work was featured as “Picture of the Month”). I have also served as main chair and organizer of international workshops and conferences.
International Collaborations
I actively participate in major international collaborations, including the Oxford AstroPAH group, CONquest, GATOS, Galaxy Harmoni simiulation team, QUEST, QSOFEED, Los Piratas, and COST Action NanoSpace, contributing to data reduction and analysis. I take leadership roles in these collaborations, serving as PI on observing proposals (e.g., CONquest [ALMA], GATOS [JWST], Los Piratas [GTC]) and as a board member of GATOS (>60 international researchers), where I also lead the PAH modeling and JWST/NIRSpec data reduction work.
I currently lead the nearby galaxies science case for LETO (Line Emission Terahertz Observatory), an ESA M8 mission candidate that successfully passed Stage 1.
I have been Principal Investigator (PI) on several research projects with significant funding (see CVA,). I have led successful telescope proposals totaling more than 250 observing hours as PI at competitive facilities such as JWST and ALMA. Currently, I am PI of two awarded JWST programs (program ID: 3535, 5017) and co-PI of a third one (7195). I supervised the PhD thesis of Dr. F.R. Donnan (University of Oxford; PhD thesis), and I am currently supervising a PhD student at the University of South Carolina (since 2024). Starting in 2025, I am going to supervise two additional PhD students at CAB.
I am actively engaged in science outreach in both the UK and Spain, having participated in more than ten public events, including telescope nights, museum programs, and astronomy association activities. I have also written outreach articles for The Conversation. In addition, I am an active member of the Comisión Mujer y Astronomía of the Spanish Astronomical Society (SEA), where I lead various initiatives.
