MEET OUR SUPERVISORS

Can you please provide some insight into your educational and professional background? 

I come from a non-technical background. I studied Translation and Interpreting (focusing on Legal and Business translation) at the University of Granada. In 2012, I joined Esteyco’s team, a civil engineering and architecture consulting firm created in 1970, almost by chance. But soon I realized that I would be attached to this sector for a long time.

First, I started as the Responsible for International Tenders, mainly focused on the economic and administrative aspects. During this period, we had -and still have- a strong presence in Colombia, Mexico, Chile and Brazil. In 2017 I got transferred to the R&D department which is a landmark within Esteyco. Since then I have had the opportunity to witness first-hand the creation of new and innovative solutions to unsolved challenges, mainly in the wind energy sector. In 2022 I became Responsible for the R&D Department, depending directly on the managing directors. Thanks to the support of European and Spanish funding institutions, mainly the European Commission and CDTI, we have demonstrated our solutions focused on reducing wind energy costs and carbon footprint.

How or why did you join the FRONTIErS network?

Esteyco has a long track record of commitment to innovation. From this, we have collaborated with universities, research institutions and centres for the dissemination of technical knowledge. In this sense, we have a close relationship with the Polytechnical University of Barcelona (UPC) which invited us to participate in the FRONTIErS project. From the beginning, we saw the opportunity to collaborate with the academic community in order to progress in such an interesting yet neglected area as analysis of scour development and protection optimisation in offshore wind turbines.

Have you had any prior experience with MSCA Programmes?

No, I have not. It is our first experience with the MSCA programme! Esteyco has participated in several European and national-funded programmes. However, we have never had the opportunity to participate in the MSCA programme. However, we are very excited to have the opportunity to work side by side with doctoral students who possess the excellent research skills that innovative companies such as Esteyco seek from their people.

From your perspective, what are the primary benefits of participating in an MSCA doctoral network?

Sometimes it seems that there is a huge gap between the academic and the industry sectors. Although they are intrinsically related, from my point of view, they usually seem disconnected from each other. So I think the MSCA programme is essential to bridge the gap between these two fields. There is a mutual benefit. Doctoral students benefit from a real experience in the industry sector and, of course, Esteyco benefit from the enthusiasm, skills and knowledge of doctoral students.