Soledad Martos Arias

Soledad Martos Arias is a Researcher in the Department of Animal Biology, Plant Biology and Ecology at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). She specializes in plant physiology, phytoremediation, and plant-microbe interactions, with a focus on heavy metal tolerance and soil rehabilitation. Her work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to sustainable agriculture and environmental protection.

Affiliations:

• Department of Animal Biology, Plant Biology and Ecology, UAB
• Fisiologia Vegetal/Plant Physiology research group

Research Interests:

Dr. Martos Arias investigates plant responses to environmental stressors such as heavy metals (Zn, Pb, Cd), fungal pathogens (e.g., Fusarium), and soil contaminants. Her work integrates microbiology, genomics, and biotechnology to develop sustainable solutions for phytoremediation and crop protection. Key areas include:

• Plant-microbe interactions in contaminated soils
• Genetic basis of metal tolerance in plants
• Biocontrol agents for plant diseases
• Hyperaccumulator plant systems

Notable Projects (2011–2025):

• DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL METHODOLOGIES TO INTEGRATE CHARACTERIZATION AND TREATMENT OF CONTAMINATED WATER, SLUDGE AND SOIL IN THE WINE INDUSTRY (EU-funded, 2022–2025)
• EU-chitinase: Biological pesticide development (Principal Investigator, 2022–2024)
• ION HOMEOSTASIS IN PLANT DEVELOPMENT AND PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS (2020–2023)

Advising & Collaborations:

She has supervised at least one doctoral thesis on grapevine wood diseases. Collaborations span international teams focusing on circular economy approaches in agriculture, microbial biotechnology, and plant stress biology.

Labs/Teams:

Active in the Plant Physiology lab and collaborates with interdisciplinary groups in soil science, genomics, and agricultural biotechnology at UAB and beyond.