Juan Luis Ramos Martín
Protection of the Environment 2012PhD in Biology. Research Professor at the CSIC (Spanish National Research Council)
Jury rulingThe jury for the Rei Jaume I Prize for Environmental Protection, meeting in Valencia, has unanimously decided to award the 2012 prize to Mr Juan Luis Ramos Martín.
This is in recognition of his work on the use of microbes for environmental and biotechnological applications in the removal of pollutants. His multidisciplinary research approach is pioneering in this field and integrates cutting-edge molecular biology with chemical engineering and fieldwork.
His work on the genetic engineering of metabolic pathways and his development of ‘bacterial suicide’ enabled the sequential modification of catabolic pathways and expanded the range of chemical compounds that can be degraded by microbes, thereby helping to prevent pollutants from reaching the biosphere. Similarly, his design of ‘bacterial suicide’ ensures a safer and more widely accepted use of microbes in biodegradation, which has been experimentally validated.
