JESUS ANGEL LOPEZ ROMALDE

Jesús Ángel López Romalde is a Professor at the University of Santiago de Compostela, affiliated with the Department of Microbiology and Parasitology within the Faculty of Pharmacy. His research focuses on microbial ecology, aquaculture pathology, and environmental microbiology, with significant contributions to understanding bacterial pathogens in fish and shellfish farming systems. He leads the GIPA Aquaculture Pathology Research Group and is part of the Strategic Grouping in Sustainable Management and Production of Bioresources (BioReDes).

He holds a PhD from the University of Santiago de Compostela (1992), where his thesis investigated Yersinia ruckeri epidemiology and virulence mechanisms under the supervision of Dr. Alicia E. Toranzo. His work intersects environmental and clinical microbiology, addressing issues like antibiotic resistance, viral surveillance in wastewater, and phage-based solutions for pathogen control.

Romalde’s research interests include vibrio biology, hepatitis E virus ecology, and wastewater-based epidemiology. He has pioneered studies on Vibrio tapetis in marine organisms and the use of bacteriophages to combat pathogens in aquaculture. His recent projects explore genomic approaches to bacterial evolution and the application of photodynamic inactivation for antimicrobial purposes.

Key contributions include:

• Development of molecular tools for pathogen detection in aquatic environments
• Advocacy for One Health approaches to zoonotic diseases
• Leadership in the Galician Emerging Food Safety Risks Network (RISEGAL)

His lab at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Environmental Technologies (CRETUS) integrates microbiology, genomics, and environmental engineering to address global challenges in microbial management.