Rafael Ruiz de la Haba

Rafael Ruiz de la Haba is a University Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Parasitology at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Seville. His research focuses on halophilic microorganisms from hypersaline environments with emphasis on microbial genomics, taxogenomics, and biotechnological applications.

His primary research interests include:

• Systematics and phylogeny of halophilic archaea and bacteria
• Metagenomic analysis of hypersaline soils and salterns
• Genome-based taxonomy and species delineation
• Biotechnological potential of extremophiles
• Culturomics of uncultivable microorganisms

His recent publications demonstrate strong trends in taxogenomic approaches to resolve classification controversies within Halomonadaceae and haloarchaea, with particular focus on terrestrial hypersaline environments. His work integrates multilocus sequence analysis, comparative genomics, and metabolic pathway reconstruction to advance microbial systematics.

Ruiz de la Haba has received consistent research funding through the University of Seville's Plan Propio and competitive grants including PID2020-118136GB-I00 and P20_01066. He leads the research group ESTUDIO DE MICROORGANISMOS HALOFILOS (HALOFILOS) and serves as Principal Investigator on multiple projects related to hypersaline microbiomes.

He actively mentors students and researchers, with frequent co-authorship patterns indicating strong advising relationships. His educational contributions include developing interactive teaching tools like Microbio-Juegos for microbiology education and implementing escape room methodologies in pharmacy education.