Alba Trueba

Alba Trueba serves as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, where she conducts cutting-edge research on micropollutants biodegradation under a Juan de la Cierva-Formación grant from the Spanish Government. Her work is integral to the Biogroup's research line focused on environmental biotechnology solutions.

Her academic foundation includes a Bachelor's degree in Biology and Master's degree in Advanced Biotechnology from the University of A Coruña (UDC), followed by PhD research at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona under an FPI fellowship. Her doctoral work centered on enrichment of anaerobic bacterial cultures for halogenated compound degradation.

Dr. Trueba's research spans biodegradation of emerging contaminants, anaerobic digestion processes, and microbial community analysis in engineered systems. She specializes in applying proteomic and metaproteomic techniques to study stress responses in anammox reactors, nitrogen removal via N-damo communities, and biotransformation of pharmaceuticals like sulfamethoxazole. Her methodology integrates bioreactor operation with advanced molecular analysis to optimize pollutant removal.

Recent publications (2023-2024) reveal consistent focus on environmental proteomics for process monitoring, biodegradation mechanisms of biodegradable plastics in thermophilic systems, and metalloenzyme functions in nitrogen-removing microbial consortia. These works demonstrate her ability to connect molecular-scale microbial activities with engineered treatment performance.

Her scientific recognition includes:

• FPI fellowship from the Spanish Government during doctoral studies
• DAAD german grant for postdoctoral research at Helmholzt Centre
• Juan de la Cierva-Formación grant supporting current micropollutants research

Dr. Trueba has mentored two Master's students through thesis supervision, investigating N-damo reactor operation and sulfamethoxazole biotransformation under aerobic conditions. Her research program is sustained by competitive national grants that enable advanced experimental work on pollutant degradation pathways.

As an active member of the Biogroup at USC, she collaborates with international teams including the Geobiochemistry working group at Helmholzt Centre. Her laboratory integrates bioreactor systems, microbial community analysis, and enzyme characterization to develop sustainable wastewater treatment technologies addressing contemporary pollution challenges.