Ana Rios Miguel studied Biotechnology at the University of Salamanca in Spain. “In secondary school, I became interested in biology and especially in how cells function. That’s why I chose to go to university to study Biotechnology. It’s a mix of biology and technology, to invent applications of biomaterial via engineering, in order to fight environmental pollution, for example.”
That’s also why Ana Rios Miguel ended up at Microbiology: “Microbes, or bacteria, eat everything and can grow in any condition. That’s fascinating. I wanted to know how this is possible and how it works. In order to do that, I needed to conduct fundamental research.”
Master's programme Radboud University
Ana Rios Miguel wanted to do this research in English and thus outside of Spain. “The research programme in the Netherlands is exactly what I was looking for. I finished the Master’s programme and started a PhD at the department of Microbiology at Radboud University in Nijmegen.”
She became a part of the team researching how bacteria can break down the waste in wastewater treatment plants. Quite necessary, as 140 tonnes of chemicals end up in our water systems every year. Because it’s not possible to purify everything yet, the remains end up in the environment via the wastewater. Examples are pesticides, beauty products, and medicines.
