VIRGINIA DE BLAS
Virginia de Blas Sánchez holds a Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering and Environmental Engineering from Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (2022), graduating with a distinction for academic excellence. She later completed a Master's Degree in Chemical Engineering from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (2023).
During her degree, she completed a five-month internship in the Isotope Applications Area at the Centro de Estudios y Experimentación de Obras Públicas (CEDEX). While pursuing her master's degree, she received a Collaboration Grant at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, where she began her research on the sustainable production of biomonomers from lignocellulosic biomass. With the support of the SECAT Master's Thesis Grant, she completed her master's thesis in the same field, titled "Synthesis and Characterization of a Bifunctional Cu-Ni Catalytic System for the Production of δ-valerolactone". The thesis was focused on the transformation of furfural and 1,5-pentanediol via catalytic transfer hydrogenation to produce biomass-derived monomers. To this end, she also completed an internship at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) at the Institute of Catalysis and Petrochemistry (ICP).
Since late 2023, she has been working as a researcher in the Chemical and Environmental Engineering Group at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, where she began her PhD in November 2024. Her research is now focused on the development of heterogeneous catalytic systems with controlled active-site environments for the transformation of biomass-derived carbohydrates and the sustainable production of bio-based compounds.
Research profiles:
Keywords:
Biomass, catalysis, zeolites, biomonomers
