Maider J. Echeveste Medrano is a Postdoctoral Researcher at IE University’s School of Science and Technology. Working within the Horizon Europe 2020 project EXPLORA, she contributes to pioneering bioprospecting efforts aimed at discovering novel plastic-degrading enzymes and biomolecules of industrial/therapeutic relevance in extreme aquatic ecosystems. She earned her PhD Cum Laude in Environmental Microbiology from Radboud University. Trained in internationally recognized computational laboratories at Colorado State University and the Center for Microbiome Research at Queensland University of Technology, she specialized in omics’ analysis. Her work leveraging DNA- and RNA-derived sequencing data has advanced the characterization of microbial community structures and functions in greenhouse gas cycling natural and engineered ecosystems. Complementing her computational expertise, her dedication to bioreactor cultivation of poorly understood, climate-sensitive microorganisms involved in greenhouse gas cycling has resulted in several first-author publications in high-impact scientific journals.
