UPCT

Technical University of Cartagena
(Spain)

Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena (UPCT) is a public university with long experience and tradition in engineering and economic & business studies. With over 90 R&D groups, the University aims to be not only a place for the dissemination of knowledge but also a source of scientific and technological creation. These groups carry out basic and applied research into a broad variety of fields such as agrifood engineering, environmental engineering, manufacturing, aerobiology and environmental toxicology, mechanical and electrical engineering, business economics, environmental engineering, applied mathematics, chemical engineering, metallurgy, physics, plant production, naval technology, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), etc. UPCT is committed to the promotion of research, development, innovation and scientific exchange with numerous public and private institutions (both national and international), reinforcing its links with the world of industry. The University promotes joint research and scientific exchange programmes with public and private organizations, as well as with several universities. In order to face the challenges of current society and the needs of the labour market, the UPCT organizes conferences and seminars in various areas of science and technology, which also help to strengthen the links between the university and the industry. The European Projects Office of our University, integrated within the Unit of Research and Technology.

More information are here: https://www.upct.es/

TEAM

Ángel Faz Cano

 Dr Ángel Faz Cano is Professor at the Department of Agrarian Science and Technology of UPCT, being permanent staff since 2000. He has a Bachelor Degree in Biology (1990), and PhD in Sciences (1997). He is the director of the research group GARSA (Sustainable Use, Management and Reclamation of Soil and Water) since 2004 (The group was awarded in 2012 and 2017 with the Isaac Peral y Caballero Award, designed to recognize the research groups of the UPCT that have distinguished by the achievement of R & D & I contracts and for their collaboration in research and development projects with entities and institutions). His research expertise lines are soil evaluation, soil degradation and recovery, treatment and valorisation of residues, and phytomanagement. He has participated in 51 research projects of public competition at regional, national and international level, and more than 130 research contracts with public and private entities, being the investigator principal for most of them. Most projects deal with soil management to increase soil quality and productivity. He has almost 250 publications as scientific international peer reviewed journals and book chapters, being 155 of them included in JRC. He has also contributed to more than 550 communications to national and international conferences, as poster or oral. He has edited 6 books, two of them by Catena Verlag and 1 by Springer, and he has been an officer of the International Union of Soil Sciences (Soil Genesis and Soil Geography, the latter elected until August 2018). He has also been Vice President of the Working Group "Land Degradation". He also counts in his CV with more than 95 monographs and more than a 50 unpublished reports. He collaborated in the edaphological cartography of more than 50 topographic sheets of MTN too.  Coordinator of doctoral programs for almos 20 years related to the theme of the project: Mining, Environment and Sustainable Development (RD778 / 1998), Environment and Sustainable Mining (RD1393 / 2007, awarded with the Excellence Mention MOY from the Mediterranean Office of Youth, and Technology and Modelling in Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering (RD99 / 2011). He received on 1919 the award “Professor at the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena who has supervised highest number of Ph. Doctorate Thesis”.


Contact: angel.fazcano(at)upct.es

José Alberto Acosta Avilés

Dr. Jose A. Acosta is Associate Professor at the Agricultural Engineering Department, and member of the Sustainable Use, Management and Reclamation of Soil and Water Research Group, Technical University of Cartagena, Spain. He is an agronomic engineer since 2003 and Ph.D. in Agronomy since 2008. He has participated on 24 research projects and 60 research contracts with private companies and public administrations. He is co-author of 84 research articles, 73 of them included in the Science Citation Report (JCR). They accumulate 2550 citations, with an H-index of 29 to date. He has 130 presentations in international and national congresses. He has co-supervised 5 final degree theses, 20 final master thesis, and 7 doctoral theses.


Contact: JA.Acosta(at)upct.es

Raúl Zornoza Belmonte

Full Professor at the Department of Agricultural Engineering of the Technical University of Cartagena. Previously he worked at the University Miguel Hernández (Spain), University of Florence (Italy) and University of Cordoba (Spain). He has a PhD in Soil Science (2007). His research expertise lines are soil quality, soil biology, sustainable management of soil and crop diversification. He is author of 90 articles, 85 of them included in the Science Citation Report (JCR), many of them within the first quartile. They accumulate ~ 2990 citations to date. He is also author of 15 book chapters, and editor of one book published by Elsevier. He has also worked abroad for short stays at the University of California-Davis (2004, 2005), Hohenheim University (2006), University of Northern British Columbia (2011) and Lund University (2014). He has 194 presentations in international and national congresses. He has participated in 22 research projects, being 12 financed by the European Union, and in 30 contracts with public and private entities. He currently participates as researcher in the H2020 projects SoildiverAgro and Sprint, and is the Project Coordinator of the project H2020 Diverfarming. He has been co-supervisor of four doctoral theses, and supervisor of 13 final bachelor/master theses. He has co-organized 15 sessions in international conferences such as EGU General Assembly, Eurosoil or AAAS Annual Meeting. He is member of the Editorial Board of the Journals SOIL, Geoderma, Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research and Spanish Journal of Soil Science. In November 2012 he was awarded with the Outstanding Young Scientist of Soil Science Division Award by the European Geosciences Union and in January 2020 as the best researcher at UPCT. He is been Secretary General of the Spanish Society of Soil Science (2017-2021) and Committee member and chair of the EGU Subdivision 5: Soil Chemistry (2016-2020).


Contact: raul.zornoza(at)upct.es

Silvia Martínez Martínez

Agricultural engineering (2003) and Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering (2009) at Technical University of Cartagena. Currently Full-time associate profesor. Research stays: University of Pennsylvania in 2004, the University of Northern British Columbia (Canada) in 2006 and George-August-Universität Göttingen (Germany) in 2007. Research lines: (1) Environmental risk assesment of heavy metals in soils and phytoremediation application; (2) treatment of industrial wastewater using wetlands; and (3) Soil management for the sustainable use of agri-environmental systems. Projects for the last 10-year:  10 international projects, 6 national/regional projects; 40 innovation and transfer contracts. Co-author of 50 research articles, and co-author of 17 book chapters. She is co-author of 2 national and 1 international patents. He has co-directed 10 master's thesis and 1 doctoral thesis. 


Contact: Silvia.Martinez(at)upct.es

María Dolores Gómez López

Dra. María Dolores Gómez (female), is Associate Professor at the Agricultural Engineering Department, and member of the Sustainable Use, Management and Reclamation of Soil and Water Research Group, Technical University of Cartagena Spain. Agronomic engineer since 1998 and Ph.D. in Agronomy since 2004 by the UPCT. She is specialized in Characterization of environmental indicators and mitigation of impacts of agriculture and livestock, Valorization of agricultural waste and Aid decision-making in environmental management (ResearcherID: 0000-0001-8204-2914; Scopus Author ID: 14068916500).  She is member of  “Sociedad Española de Agroingeniería” and Coordinator of the Association of 15 Agricultural Engineering Companies with the University (AgritechMurcia-UPCT) and director of the Synergynuts Platform for nuts in hedgerow.


Contact: lola.gomez(at)upct.es

Melisa Gómez Garrido

Degree in Chemistry from the University of Murcia (2006). Master of Occupational Risk Prevention Hygiene Specialty (Formastur, 2008). Certificate of Pedagogical Aptitude by the Polytechnic University of Valencia (2009). Diploma of Advanced Studies from the Polytechnic University of Cartagena (UPCT, 2010). B2 national English level by the Official School of Languages of Cartagena and European B1 level by the University of Cambridge (2013). Doctor from the UPCT with a qualification of Outstanding "Cum Laude" (2014). Accreditation of assistant professor doctor by ANECA (2018). Member of the Sustainable Use, Management and Reclamation of Soil and Water Research Group, Technical University of Cartagena Spain. She has more than 14 years of professional experience in the field of research and development related to agriculture, livestock and the environment, from 2006 to 2021. Besides, she has been carried out research in management and use energy from waste, application of new fertilizers, soil and water conservation, including climate change, pollution and risk analysis, both in private companies and in the public sector such as the Ministry of Agriculture and Water of the Murcia Region, the Center for Industrial Technological Development and the Seneca Foundation. In addition, she has participated in 12 R + D + i projects with national private and public financing. She has 7 scientific publications, 31 contributions to national and international congresses, a Spanish patent, an international patent and participation in teaching activities as a professor of technical courses and educational programs at the UPCT. She currently carries out research activities related to the environment and technology transfer activities managing and executing projects at the UPCT. 


Contact: Melisa.gomez(at)upct.es

Martire Angélica Terrero Turbi

Martire Angélica Terrero Civil Engineer Degree, Master in Science and Technology of Water (2014) and PhD granted by the UPCT (2020). Currently, researcher in the GARSA group at UPCT. B2 national English level by the Official School of Languages of Cartagena (2019). Experience is involved in projects based mainly in treatment and management of by-products from livestock farms with sustainable techniques. Cntributions to scientific journals and participation on international congresses in the fields of pig waste valorization promote environmental solutions.


Contact: angelica.terrero(at)upct.es

María Gabarrón Sánchez

Dr. María Gabarrón, researcher and member of the Sustainable Use, Management and Reclamation of Soil and Water Research Group at Polytechnical University of Cartagena, Spain. She is environmental engineer and Ph.D. in sciences and member of the “Spanish soil Society (SECS)” and the Soil Network of Spain. Her field of expertise is soil reclamation, environmental and health risk assessment in polluted areas and water /wastewater management. Co-author of 20 scientific articles in first level JCR journals, She also has been involved in 23 researching national and international projects.


Contact: maria.gabarron(at)upct.es

Juan Carlos Beltrá Castillo

Master's Degree in Water and Land Science and Technology from the Polytechnic University of Cartagena (UPCT). Graduate in Environmental Sciences from the Miguel Hernández University (Elche). Currently registered second year as a PhD student, specialty in remediation of contaminated soil, and at same time a researcher in GARSA (MAnagement, Development and Recovery of Soil and Water) research group, working in diferent proyects related to soil and their propierties.


Contact: juanbeltracastillo(at)gmail.com

Oumaima El Bied

Master’s degree in Environmental Science and Management from HASSAN II University of Casablanca, Morocco. Academic background in wastewater and solid waste treatment.
Currently registered final year as a PhD student, at the doctoral program “Technology and Modeling in Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering”, specialty in pig slurry treatment, and at same time a researcher in GARSA (Management, Development and Recovery of Soil and Water) research group, working in different projects related to pig slurry treatment and management.


Contact: oumaima.elbied(at)upct.es

Ximena Capa

Ximena Katherine Capa Camacho, Engineer in Geology and Mining from the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Master in Science and Technology of Water and Terrain at the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena. Currently a PhD. student on the possible impact of slurry from storage and agronomic valorization ponds on the subsoil, and at the same time a researcher in GARSA research group, she is working in different projects related to quantification methodologies, GIS (Geographical Information System), treatment and management of pig slurry.


Contact: ximek8(at)hotmail.com