Research Group of (Micro)-Separation Techniques

Maria Luisa Marina is full professor of Analytical Chemistry at the University of Alcalá from 2004 and the head of the research group. She has developed an intense research activity for more than 35 years since she defended her PhD thesis in 1985 obtaining the maximum mark and the Extraordinary Doctorate Award. She was postdoctoral researcher in 1986 in the INSTN, CEA, Saclay (France) and started as associate professor in the University of Alcalá in 1987. From this date, she focused her research activity on the development of innovative analytical methodologies using capillary electrophoretic and chromatographic techniques for the separation and determination of compounds of interest in the pharmaceutical, environmental and food analysis fields and for the enantiomeric separation of chiral compounds. This research activity has included the characterization, identification and determination of proteins, peptides and amino acids, the development of metabolomics and peptidomics strategies, and the obtaining of bioactive substances from food byproducts and residues. The use of capillary separative techniques has favored the coupling of electrophoretic and chromatographic techniques with mass spectrometry implementing also the features of miniaturization in analytical chemistry such as low consumption of reagents and samples (clean/green analytical techniques). Prof. Marina has participated in 26 research projects with european, national or regional funding, being the responsible in 18. She is co-editor of the book “Analysis and detection in capillary electrophoresis”, Comprehensive Analytical Chemistry Series (Elsevier) and co-author of 38 book chapters published in very prestigious editorials and more than 310 research articles published in high impact factors journals (SCI). She has also supervised 22 PhD thesis, 14 having the International/European doctorate label, one more has been carried out under international co-supervision (double doctorate), 10 have been recognized with the Extraordinary Doctorate Award, 3 with the Award for Young Researchers of the University of Alcalá, one has received the accesit of the Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry-Madrid Section to the best PhD Thesis, and one has been recognized with the Miguel Valcárcel Award of the Spanish Society of Analytical Chemistry, SEQA 2019, to the best PhD Thesis in Analytical Chemistry.