Prof. María Jesús MARTÍNEZ is a lead researcher in Microbial System and Protein Engineer group, at the Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas in Madrid, a Centre of the Spanish National Research Council. Her work, principally related with
discovering, characterizing, and expressing fungal enzymes involved in lignocellulose degradation, has allowed to find robust biocatalysts and facilitated, in some cases, the enhancement of their catalytic properties through protein engineering. These biocatalysts have been applied in various biotechnological processes, as for example the valorization of agro-industrial wastes for second generation biofuels or the production of other value-added compounds. She has published over 220 scientific publications in Microbial Biotechnology and Molecular Microbiology Journals and she was awarded from the Spanish Association of Scientists in 2019, for her work in the field of Microbial Enzyme Biotechnology. In addition, she has always been very involved in bringing research to the public, through talks and workshops, collaborating in the organization of numerous scientific dissemination events.