The ANTIOX-Ecophys Team
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Prof. Sergi Munné-Bosch
smunne@ub.edu
Sergi Munné-Bosch was born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1974. He received the Biology degree and the Ph.D. from the University of Barcelona, Spain, in 1996 and 1999, respectively. He has performed several stays as a research scientist abroad, including the University of Hannover (Germany), University of Fukuyama (Japan) and University of Virginia (United States), among others. From 2000 to 2003, he was an Assistant Professor at the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences at the University of Barcelona, and during the period from2002 to 2003, he also worked as a research scientist at the National Research Council in Spain (CSIC). Since 2017, he has been a Full Professor of plant physiology and he leads the ANTIOX research group at the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences at the University of Barcelona focused on the study of the function of antioxidants in plants, plant ecophysiology and potharvest processes in plants. During 2000 and 2003, he was a recipient of the Plant Water Relations and Plant Physiology Awards, respectively, given by the Spanish Society of Plant Physiologists. He was a recipient of the ICREA Academia Award, given by the Catalan Government in 2008 and 2014. Since 2015 he is Editor-in-Chief of the Elsevier journal “Environmental and Experimental Botany”.
ADJUNCT LECTURERS
Paula Muñoz
paula.munoz@ub.edu
Paula Muñoz received her BSc in Biology (Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology) from the University of Barcelona in 2015. She performed her final degree project at the LIT in Limerick (Ireland) enhancing the extraction of high value carotenoids, in microalgae. In 2016, she fulfilled her MSc in Molecular Biotechnology and completed her project under the supervision of Dr. Sergi Munné-Bosch evaluating sweet cherries antioxidant compounds levels and the expression pattern of genes involved in the vitamin E biosynthesis during the ripening process. In 2017 she was awarded with a 4-year PhD Fellowship (FPI) from Spanish Government and her PhD dissertation focused on the study of mechanisms for redox state control in fruits and leaves of plants with economical and ecological impact. Since May 2020, Paula Muñoz is a postdoctoral researcher at the ANTIOX Agrifood-Biotech group where she is developing the research lines of fruit physiology and technology, as well as flower senescence and longevity, in coordination with Prof. Sergi Munné-Bosch. In September 2022, Paula started a new position as adjunct lecturer at the Plant Physiology section of Biology at the University of Barcelona.
Camila Ribalta-Pizarro
c.ribalta@ub.edu
Camila Ribalta-Pizarro obtained her degree in agricultural engineering and her MSc in Viticulture and Enology from University of Chile, in 2016. Her MSc project studied the effect of abscisic acid on photosynthesis and sugar concentrations in leaves and berries of grapevines (Vitis vinifera L.) cv. Carménère. She worked as a researcher over 2 years in the Valparaiso Regional Center for Fruit and Vegetable Innovation, focused on the sustainability of agricultural systems of Valparaiso Region. Furthermore, she has worked in the study of the effect of water stress on grapes and wine quality, with Dr. Alejandro Cáceres Mella. She has recently been awarded a 4-year PhD scholarship from the Chilean government (Becas Chile, CONICYT) and has joined the ANTIOX team to study oxidative stress related to grape and wine quality under water stress conditions and different canopy managements.
David H. Fresno
dhernandez-fresno@ub.edu
David H. Fresno received his BSc in Biotechnology from the University of Barcelona in 2017. He carried out his final degree project at the Molecular Plant Pathology group of the University of Amsterdam studying the interactions between tomato, fungal endophytes and Fusarium. During his MSc degree, he studied the relations between sweet cherry development and its native microbiome. He was awarded with a 4-year fellowship in 2019 to carry out his PhD research in the Antiox group, studying the role of different phytohormones and antioxidant compounds on plant-microbe interactions.
Alba Arabia
alba.arabia.97@gmail.com
Alba Arabia completed her BCs in Biotechnology at the University of Barcelona (UB) and her MSC in Novel Foods at Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM). She is currently studying a master’s degree in Environmental Agrobiology at the University of Barcelona. Alba started collaborating with the ANTIOX group in 2018, where she developed her BSc final project about the differential accumulation of tocochromanols in strawberry. For her MSc, she focused her research on the development of a commercial product to expand shelf-life of stone fruits during postharvest. At the moment, Alba is a PhD student of the fruit physiology and technology research line of the ANTIOX Agri-Food biotech group, where she is studying the complex interplay of hormones and biomolecules that regulate fruit ripening and postharvest.
Núria F. Bermejo
nfernabe8@alumnes.ub.edu
Núria Fernández finished her BSc in Biotechnology at the University of Barcelona last year and her final degree project was performed at the ANTIOX reseach team to study variations in pigments of chia seeds and sprouts and the implications of exogenous hormonal applications for their improvement. At the moment, Núria is studying a MSc in Environmental Agrobiology at the University of Barcelona and continues her resarch at the ANTIOX group.
MASTER STUDENTS
Sílvia Campillos Teixidó
scampite7@alumnes.ub.edu
Sílvia Campillos Teixidó is a student of the BSc in Biotechnology at the University of Barcelona (UB) who is interested in agriculture and plant physiology. She is joining the ANTIOX Research Group to carry out her final degree project about the effect of a biostimulant on stress tolerance and fruit quality under the supervision of Prof. Sergi Munné-Bosch.
Núria Pallarés Vives
npallavi7@alumnes.ub.edu
Núria Pallarés Vives finished her BSc in Biotechnology at the University of Barcelona last year and performed her final degree project on the role of melatonin during strawberry development and ripening at the ANTIOX research group. This year, Núria is studying a MSc in Environmental Agrobiology at the University of Barcelona and continues her research focused on the effect of some biostimulants on strawberry crops.
