Monica Sanchez Roman

Dr. Mónica Sánchez-Román is an Assistant Professor in the Earth Science Department at Vrije University (VU) in Amsterdam, Netherlands. She holds a PhD in Earth Sciences from ETH Zurich and has held research positions at the University of Georgia, Savannah River National Laboratory (USA), and Spain’s National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA). Her research focuses on interactions between biosphere and geosphere, particularly geomicrobiology, biogeochemistry, and the formation of carbonates, phosphates, and sulfates in extreme environments like Rio Tinto (Spain) and hypersaline lagoons. She has been awarded the IUGS Outstanding Early Career Investigator Medal (2020).

Education:

• PhD in Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich (Switzerland)
• Postdoctoral Fellowships: University of Georgia (USA), Savannah River National Laboratory (USA), and INTA (Spain)

Research Interests: Biomineralization, microbial-mineral interactions, astrobiology, carbonate formation in extreme environments, and biosignature identification for early Earth and Mars. Key projects include studying Rio Tinto’s acidic systems and hypersaline lagoons to understand microbial influences on mineral precipitation.

Publications: Over 50 peer-reviewed articles, including studies on microbial dolomite formation, Fe-carbonate mineralization, and biogeochemical processes in extreme environments.

Awards & Grants:

• IUGS Medal (2020)
• ERC Fellowship (Spain)
• NASA Fellowship (USA)

Labs & Teams: Active in the IPBSL drilling project (Iberian Pyrite Belt Subsurface Life) and collaborates globally on astrobiology and environmental geochemistry initiatives.