Mariel Perez Zabaleta
Postdoc
DTU National Food Institute
Research Group for Food Microbiology and Hygiene
Henrik Dams Allé
Building 204 Room 216
2800 Kgs. Lyngby
Danmark
Biotechnology Food Science Wastewater treatment Wastewater-based epidemiology
As postdoc at DTU National Food Institute, my current focus is on risk assessment of the effect of water treatment options and the use of treated water in food production. As a Researcher at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, I applied my Industrial Biotechnology PhD and Food Technology background to address global issues such as wastewater treatment, antimicrobial resistance, and COVID-19 surveillance. In my role at KTH, Wastewater-Based Epidemiology was the focus, where I monitored the presence and variation of SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses in wastewater samples from different cities in Sweden. I also contributed to the organization of the Blue Planet conference, a platform for knowledge exchange on water-related topics. For more than four years, I have been working on various projects that involve bioprocess design, microbial cultures, molecular biology, analytical techniques, and method optimization. I am passionate about finding innovative and sustainable solutions that can improve the quality of life and health of people and the environment.