Full Professor in Cell Biology. Head of the Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology between 2000-2003 and from 2006 onwards, secretary of the same Department between 2003-2006.
Expertise: Metal uptake, homeostasis and toxicity. Histology (quantitative) and histopathology. Environmental monitoring.
PhD at the University of the Basque Country (1989) on the “Ecotoxicological assessment of cadmium pollution by using winkles as sentinels” under the supervision of Eduardo Angulo. He conducted pre- and post-doctoral studies at the University College of Wales (Aberystwyth, 1988), at the King’s College School of Medicine and Dentistry in London (1993), and at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego (2000). He has supervised over 20 Licenciature thesis and 4 PhDs (M Soto, 1995; G Díez,1996; B Zaldibar, 2006; U Izagirre, 2007). Actually he is supervising 6 PhD students. He has published over 100 papers in international journals, various chapters in specialized treatises and one textbook on Cell Biology and more than 200 contributions to congresses. He has been the coordinator in the UPV/EHU of an Erasmus/Socrates network on "Environmental Sciences and Education" between 12 universities. Co-director of the Doctorate Programme (UPV/EHU) “Biología Ambiental y calidad de vida” (1998-) and the International Course “Socrates European Class 2003” (11 European universities) on “Environmental Resources in a European context”. Member of the Commission to renovate the Biology Degree Curriculum (UPV/EHU, 2001-2003). Actually he is director of two Masters which have received the Quality Award by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (2005-2008): the “Master on Environmental Contamination and Toxicology” and the “European Master on Marine Environmental Resources”, teached jointly by the University of the Basque Country, University of Southampton and University of Bordeaux. He is specialized in quantitative microscopy and its applications for measuring the biological effects of pollutants and enzyme histochemistry in soil and marine animals. He works also on the morphofunctional characterization of the molluscan digestive gland and its digestive lysosomal system. In addition, he has experience in planning and developing ecotoxicological monitoring programs as well as in statistical design and data treatment. He has been principal investigator of several projects and contracts. Actually he directs two ETORTEK projects funded by the Basque Government: one on the development of technologies for assessment of soil pollution (BERRILUR) and second about climate change (K-EGOKITZEN). He also directs the special action of the Ministry of Education and Science PRESTIMES on the consequences of the Prestige oil spill in coastal sentinel mussels. National and regional expert on accidental marine spills: member of the Commission of Scientific Coordination for Acciones Especiales de I+D sobre Vertidos Accidentales al Medio Marino del Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (2003-2006) and member of the Expert Committee and Scientific Commission for Actuaciones en torno a los efectos del vertido del Prestige del Gobierno Vasco (2002-2004). Founding council member of the Iberian Society for Environmental Contamination and Toxicology.