The Centre for Cross-disciplinary Research in Environmental Technologies(CRETUS) at the USC takes a strategic step forward in its scientific development by incorporating, for the first time, international senior-level talent through the ATRAE programme. The arrival of Dr Nicholas Márquez-Grant, a highly regarded expert in archaeology and forensic anthropology, represents a milestone in the centre’s trajectory and strengthens its position as a reference point in interdisciplinary research with global reach.
This appointment also represents an achievement for the USC, which has secured one of the 37 grants awarded nationally under this call. Across Galicia, three additional grants have been awarded to the Universidade de Vigo, the Universidade da Coruña and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).
An international reference in forensic anthropology
With a strong international track record, Dr Márquez-Grant joins from his position as Senior Lecturer at Cranfield University (UK), a leading institution in archaeology and forensic anthropology. He holds a degree in archaeology from the University of York, a Master’s in physical anthropology from the University of Sheffield, and a PhD from the University of Oxford, where he is currently an associate researcher. He is also President of the British Association for Forensic Anthropology.
Throughout his career, he has worked across several European countries and in forensic science laboratories in the United Kingdom, assisting law enforcement in cases involving accidental deaths, homicides and conflict-related contexts. Specialising in human remains and with a research focus on Phoenician-period archaeology in Ibiza, he has authored more than 100 scientific publications, has extensive teaching experience in European universities and has supervised more than 20 doctoral theses.
A strategic appointment for CRETUS
Dr Márquez-Grant’s arrival at the PollutedPast laboratory within CRETUS, coordinated by PI Olalla López-Costas, will enable the creation and leadership of a new research line in forensic anthropology, expanding the centre’s current expertise in bioarchaeology. This development reinforces CRETUS’s interdisciplinary approach by integrating the study of human remains with environmental analysis, generating a distinctive perspective with real scientific and forensic applications.
With this incorporation, CRETUS further positions itself among centres capable of connecting environmental research with applied forensic anthropology, opening up new opportunities for collaboration and knowledge transfer.
Scientific, social and humanitarian impact
The researcher’s work will contribute to improving the processes of search, recovery, documentation and analysis of human remains, as well as enhancing current identification methods and supporting judicial processes through forensic analysis.
These research lines strengthen the social impact of CRETUS by bringing its work closer to fields such as justice, criminal investigation and humanitarian action. They will also promote scientific outreach in this area, particularly among younger audiences.
With a broad international network and experience in humanitarian missions and high-profile cases, his arrival enhances CRETUS’s global visibility and helps bridge environmental research with real-world forensic applications.
Talent attraction capacity
The incorporation of Dr Márquez-Grant through the ATRAE programme, funded by the Spanish State Research Agency, represents a milestone for CRETUS as its first senior researcher recruited under this scheme. This progress, together with the arrival of three Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellows this year, further strengthens CRETUS —a centre within the CIGUS Network co-funded by the European Union (Galicia ERDF 2021–2027)— in its ability to attract excellent international research talent and consolidate a competitive and growing scientific ecosystem.