Sabela Balboa

Dr. Sabela Balboa is an Associate Professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. She holds a PhD in Microbiology (2012) and has conducted postdoctoral research at institutions including Sheffield University (UK) and CRETUS Institute. Her research focuses on bacterial diversity in wastewater systems, particularly microplastic degradation mechanisms. She has led national projects as principal investigator, including the 'PlasticBugs' initiative studying activated sludge bacterial communities.

Education & Career:

• BSc in Biology (2004, USC)
• PhD in Microbiology (2012, USC)
• Postdoc at Sheffield University (2013-2015)
• Principal Investigator in Mineco (2020) and Ramón y Cajal (2023) programs

Research Interests:

• Bacterial communities in wastewater treatment plants
• Microbial degradation of microplastics and macroplastics
• Marine bacterial diversity and pathogenesis
• Protein fermentation and volatile fatty acid production
• Antibiotic resistance dynamics in urban water systems

Awards:

• Xunta de Galicia Postdoctoral Grant (2013)
• Proyectos R+D+i Young Researcher Award (Mineco, 2020)
• Distinguished Researcher Fellowship (Xunta de Galicia, 2023)

Lab & Collaborations: Active in the GIPA and CRETUS research groups, focusing on microbial ecology and biotechnological applications. Supervised Jaime Landeira (MSc thesis, 2024).