L'équipe de l'Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona

Research groups involved in Geopark project:

Department of Geology (responsible Prof. José Luis Brianso):

In the field of research in the Department of Geology at UAB, working on various research projects and pointers. It does interact with other research centers and universities worldwide. This research covers areas such as environmental geology, natural resources (water, oil and other mineral resources), the dynamics of the Earth, paleontology, materials science, etc. Research topics related to Geopark project:

1). Tectonic evolution of orogenic systems: Pyrenees and Atlas Mountains;

2). Modeling of phase equilibrium and geochemical data in complex geological systems;

3). Origin and sedimentary rocks;

4). Mineralogy and mineral deposits;

5). Stratigraphy and facies analysis;

6). Study of sedimentary sequences;

7). Paleontology (macro and microfossils);

8). Conservation and restoration of stone materials in historic buildings and monuments;

9). Dynamic external geological processes: fluvial and gravitational;

10). Mapping and assessment of risks associated;

11). Regional water resource characterization;

12). Determination of geotechnical and geophysical parameters;

13). Geological heritage.

Department of Chemical Engineering (responsible Prof. Javier Lafuente) :

Lines of research in the field of Geopark project. 

Main areas of interest:

1). Debugging of urban and industrial effluents, industrial gases and bio-remediation of contaminated soils;

2). Recovery of waste: composting and methane production;

3). Pollution control in water, wastes, soils and air;

4). Alongside this, a transversal objective in the context of industrial ecology, is the development innovate (agricultural, industrial and urban) complex systems.

Plant Physiology Unit (Department of Biology-responsible Prof.Charlote Poschenrieder):

From the point of view of research, Plant Physiology Unit maintains a large and well-established line of research in the field of stress physiology in plants.

Research activities: 

1). Mechanisms of toxicity and resistance to tropical acid soil conditions (especially pH acid toxicity and toxicity of aluminum);

2). Mechanisms of toxicity and resistance to salt stress and ion;

3). Phyto-remediation mechanisms and metal hyper-accumulation in plants;

4). Defining selection criteria and diverse prospective study of plant species with potential application to phyto-remediation of contaminated soils.

ICTA-UAB (responsible Prof. Martí Boada) :

The goal of ICTA is to become a leading centre in environmental studies in Europe, with differential factors such as internationalization, pluridisciplinarity and interaction with stakeholders, under a framework of sustainability based on the values of social responsibility.

Strategic research areas in the field of Geopark project :

1). Biodiversity. Biological Risks. Agroecology. Ethnoecology. Interdisciplinary training and research related to conservation, ethnoecology and global change;

2). Ecological Economics. Environmental Sociology. Public Policies and the Environment. Study of social-economic aspects of environmental change and environmental policies. Business and the Environment. Environmental Management and Accounting. Corporate Social Responsibility;

3). Energy, Economy, Society and the Environment. Control of quality in the election, generation and use of integrated sets of indicators used in the science of governance.

Full professor of Structural Geology. PhD in geology (1992) Areas of scientific interest: Structural Geology and Tectonics: (1) Lithospheric structure and landscape evolution of mountain belts, (2) Fold-and-thrust belts and foreland basins and (3) Structure and mechanics of fault zones. Research projects: (1) Tectonics and evolution of relief in the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia (Funds from: MEC, Ecopetrol) and (2) Tectonic and topographic development of the Atlas Mountains of Morocco (Funds from: MEC, MCYT, NATO, AECI).

Full Professor at UAB. PhD in Geology – Structural Crystallography (1972). Full professor of crystallography (since 1975). Author of about 130 scientific publications in SCI journals (Crystal structure determination, LA Policies and Environment). Scientific Counsellor for Technological Policies (2006 until end of 2008) of the Ministry for Education and Science (Spain), Scientific Adviser of the Office for Science and Technology of the Presidency of the Spanish Government from its foundation to 2002. Representative of Spain in the Management Committee of Program INCO (IV Framework Programme 1994-1999), NCP for FP5-INCO (1999-2002). CYTED price in Innovation (Lima 2005). Co-ordinator of numerous research projects. Consultant of several SMEs in the sector of environmental engineering and pharmaceutical companies. Former Scientific Officer of DG12 (1988-1992). Scientific evaluator of EC projects (from FP5 to FP7). Prof. Briansó has large experience in coordination of several EU projects. Recent projects with LA countries include: EC- UNIND-LAM ICA4-2001- 10165, EC-UNIVEMP-LAM ICACT-2006-518698. EC-UEMEXCYT-2 (2008–2011), EC- FONCICYT (2009-2011), EC-EULASUR (2010-2013) EC-EUCARINET (2011-2014), EC-STRAVAL (2011-2015), EC-EULANETCERMAT (2012-2016) etc. Uncharged, as expert, by CREST-Emergent Economies (BRIC) of the report of Brazil S&T (2008), and the overview of the results of the EU-Mexico S&T Agreement (2006-2010) and suggestions and recommendations for the new agreement (2011 – 2015), by INCO programme. Six bilateral and EC projects with Morocco and Tunisia, from 2000 to 2012 in the sectors of Cultural Heritage (AECID: Monuments) and Environment (EC TOXMET / SOWAEUMED: Water and Soils pollution control).

PhD in Chemistry (Analytical chemistry applied to the research on environmental availability of heavy metal in polluted sites and influence of anthropogenic contribution). Specialist on environmental remediation of polluted environments by heavy metals as well as recovery of metal value from mining industry, including arsenic.

Associated professor, member of the Research Group in Environment and GIS. Bachelor in Geography (1999) and PhD in Geography (Barcelona University-2003). Member of the Department of Geography, teaching in the area of Tourism and Geography.

Graduated in Biology (1989) at the Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Spain; PhD in Biology at UB in July 1998; Researcher at Institut Botànic de Barcelona-CSIC (Spain) in 1997; Researcher at Real Jardín Botànico de Madrid-CSIC (Spain) 1998-1999; UAB associated professor. Topic: Systematics and Biodiversity of vascular plants; Titular professor in Botany at UAB since 1999. Topic: Systematics and Biodiversity of vascular plants, especially from NW Africa (Floristic Diversity of Northern Morocco). Number of indexed articles 40; book chapters 23; h index 8.

Full professor at UAB. Graduated in Biology (1985-1990) at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Spain; Ph.D. in Biology at UAB in 1994 (PhD award) based on aluminium toxicity in acid tropical soils; Titular Professor in Plant Physiology since 2002. Large experience in plant adaptation to problem soils and in phytoremediation. Project leader of 1 Spanish project and participant in another Spanish project. Number of indexed articles 22; book chapters 12; h index 12 with more than 800 citations.

Full professor at UAB. He has been working as a researcher during 30 years in biochemical and environmental engineering. His research interests are in the field of mathematical modeling, control & design of biological treatment systems for liquid & gaseous effluents. Nutrient Removal of Industrial and Urban Wastewater and Biological Treatment of Contaminated Air. Microbial Fuel Cells & Microbial Electrolysis cells. Dr. Lafuente has published 110 research papers in ISI indexed journals with more than1700. He did research stages in MIT, California University & Illinois Institute of Technology.