chemical changes our species is imposing on the biosphere. Much of the research work at this
institute is centred on two of the great environmental challenges of our time, namely the
cleanliness and availability of the WATER we drink and the quality of the AIR we breathe.
The Institute brings together a wide range of expertise in environmental science and organized
under two broad Departments (Environmental Chemistry and Geosciences) established with a
strong record of publication in top scientific journals, leading international projects, membership
on international committees, and adopting a high-profile contribution to the identification and
remediation of environmental problems. IDÆA has demonstrated particular strengths in the
analysis of organic pollutants and their impact on ecosystems, the study and management of water
resources, the development of multivariate resolution algorithms in chemometrics, and in the
study of inhalable particulate matter and toxic gases. IDÆA focuses on six main research lines,
namely water chemistry, chemometrics, ecotoxicology, biogeochemistry, hydro-geoscience, and
atmospheric geochemistry.
Researchers in WATER CHEMISTRY at IDÆA have a world-class reputation in pioneering the
development and validation of mass spectrometric based methods to study the occurrence, fate
and behaviour of organic pollutants. Examples include the development of robust analytical
methods to identify organic contaminants and study their degradation products including a wide
range of toxic substances ranging from legacy-persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to emerging
compounds such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products, drugs of abuse, pesticides and
industrial contaminants such as plasticisers and flame retardants. Monitoring studies are carried
out in different aquatic systems including surface, groundwater, wastewater, coastal waters and
the open sea, using organic compounds as markers of the health status of ecosystems and
organisms.
The CHEMOMETRICS unit is an international leader in the development of multivariate
resolution algorithms, particularly with the Multivariate Curve Resolution-alternating Least Squares
(MCR-ALS) method, applicable to many different environmental fields. The inherently
interdisciplinary nature of chemometrics, which applies its methods to solve problems in
experimental natural sciences, makes this research line especially valuable within the mixed group
of environmental research scientists working in IDÆA. The BIOGEOCHEMISTRY group is active in
assessing the role of organic contaminants as a vector of environmental change during the
Anthropocene and their interactions with major biochemical cycles. Other objectives of this group
include quantifying the effects of organic pollutants on microbial structure and function, and using
environmental forensic approaches to connect pollution events to their causes in order to find
nature-based approaches to mitigate environmental pollution and the impact of human activity on
ecosystems. Similarly involved with ecosystem damage is the ECOTOXICOLOGY group equipped to investigate the bioavailability and risk impacts of pollutants such as endocrine disrupting chemicals,
neurotoxic compounds, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Notable achievements of this group
to date include the use of biomarkers and sentinel species to monitor aquatic toxins, revealing the
first evidence of endocrine disruption in aquatic organisms.
HYDRO-GEOSCIENCE research at IDÆA has a distinguished tradition of investigation and outreach to university students and society at large. The field and laboratory data generated by this group have promoted their involvement in exploration of groundwater resources, urban aquifer management, marine intrusion in coastal aquifers, a wide variety of applications in civil and mining engineering, and study of processes associated with competition for deep pore space (storage of CO2, storage of nuclear waste, geothermal energy, "shale" gas, induced seismicity). In addition, hydrological investigation at IDÆA includes researchers skilled in the understanding of the links between surface waters and erosional consequences of land abandonment in sub-humid Mediterranean mountainous environments such as the Pyrenees, adding another facet to the environmental research activities taking place within the institute.
The ATMOSPHERIC GEOCHEMISTRY group has generated a prolific scientific publication record which has established it as an international leader in the study of atmospheric pollution, source receptor modelling and air quality-climate science. The Barcelona Metropolitan Area and the Pyrenees have provided an excellent setting for the IDÆA’s atmospheric monitoring “supersites” enabling cutting edge research on air quality at urban, regional and transboundary scales. The research impact of this group on urgent global issues such as urban air quality, the abatement of industrial and traffic emissions, the presence of microplastics in the air, occupational exposure and the transboundary movement of regional aerosol plumes, is reflected by its current influence on environmental policy at the highest international levels.
IDÆA offers the opportunity to be part of this research centre working on the following PhD projects within the DOCTORAL INPhINIT FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAMME (INCOMING FRAME) 2020.
Look for PhD projects within the IDAEA centre and apply before 4th february: https://hosts.lacaixafellowships.org/finder
Web: https://obrasociallacaixa.org/en/investigacion-y-becas/becas-de-la-caixa/doctorado-inphinit/incoming
