CRETUS STAFF

Patricia Sanmartín Sánchez

Ramón y Cajal Research Fellow
Department: Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry
Centre: Pharmacy (USC)
Research Group: Group of environmental studies on natural and cultural heritage.GEMAP
Phone: +34 881 814984
Email:patricia.sanmartin@usc.es
Web: GEMAP USC

I have a BSc in Chemistry (2004) and a PhD (2012, cum laude with European Doctor Mention, Extraordinary Ph.D. award and Research Prize of County Council of Pontevedra, Spain) from the USC. My major research interests include stone microbiology, biofilm at the stone/air interface, bioreceptivity and the development of innovative environmental technologies aimed at managing, assessing and mitigating natural and human impacts on stone resources.
I have obtained funds for my research through the collaboration grant-MEC (2003), Third-Cycle-Xunta de Galicia (2006), FPI-MICINN (2007), Barrié Foundation (2012), Postdoctoral mod. A-Xunta de Galicia (2013), contract for return-Xunta de Galicia (2015), Juan de la Cierva-Incorporación-MINECO (2016), postdoctoral mod. B-Xunta de Galicia (2016), an innovative Public Procurement project with European funds: Third SMARTIAGO Challenge-FEDER (2020) and Ramón y Cajal contract-AEI/MCIN (2022).
My research activity has mainly been developed at the Universities of Santiago de Compostela (USC), Alicante (2008 and 2009), Milan (2010, 2012 and 2015), Harvard (2013-2014) and Oxford (2019).

I have participated in 22 national and international projects and 46 R&D contracts signed with public or private entities. In 20 of them as principal investigator (PI), highlighting my work as PI in a preliminary approach to the bioremoval of graffiti from civil and heritage buildings (BioRemoGraf project), the laboratory-scale study of the effect of public lighting on biological colonization of built heritage (Light4Heritage project), and the scientific development of a lighting system with the support of artificial intelligence for the control of biological colonization in elements of high heritage value (CromaLux project).
I am given 62 presentations at 43 scientific conferences in the EU and US (receiving 3 conference awards in US and Spain), has been a member of the scientific and technical committees at 10 international and 2 national congresses and meetings, an invited speaker with plenary lecture on 5 occasions in France, Portugal, Italy and US, and convener of a session on stone heritage conservation at the EGU General Assembly 2019.
In 2019, I received the I3 Certificate and in 2021, the accreditation from ANECA required for the position of Associate Professor. That same year, I was selected as a Ramón y Cajal researcher, having a ranking position number four for the area of Environmental Science and Technology (CTM).

Research Lines

• Biological colonization, including the development of non-invasive techniques based on quantitative determination of colour, for the early detection and monitoring of biological colonization on granitic rocks, and biofilm studies at the stone/air interface and stone microbiology.
• Materials, including the physical and chemical-mineralogical characterization of stone material, in particular granite, and the characterization of metallic and non-metallic graffiti spray paints.
• Bioreceptivity, including the re-understanding (outcome of its re-consideration) of the bioreceptivity concept (with an interest in studies of the newly coined term “quaternary bioreceptivity”) and the study of overlooked aspects (such as colour) in the patterns and drivers of biological colonization on buildings, involved in the bioreceptivity concept.
• Green technologies, including the development of a graffiti bioremoval technology and new efficient and environmentally-sound public lighting to control biological colonization on urban monuments and structures.