© Annemarie Popp / Universität Bremen
Research Between Spain, Germany, and Cyprus
Dr. Irene Merino Pérez talks about her experience in the YUFE4Postdocs program
YUFE4Postdocs provides early career researchers with a full-time position for three years, research prospects at nine different European universities, and interdisciplinary networking opportunities. The program supports academic approaches that are particularly relevant to society – such as those of the Spanish geologist Dr. Irene Merino Pérez. In an interview with up2date., she talks about her research into natural hydrogen reservoirs and how the European exchange is part of her everyday life.
Irene, how did you first hear about YUFE4Postdocs?
I worked in different countries during my undergraduate and graduate studies. After completing my bachelor’s degree in Barcelona, I went to Strasbourg to pursue my master’s degree. Then I went back to Barcelona for my PhD. I could envision myself going abroad for my postdoc as well. I wanted to work with Marta Pérez Gussinyé, who was a collaborator of my PhD supervisor and who is now a professor at the University of Bremen. She suggested applying for the YUFE4Postdocs program. It is a pan-European program co-funded as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action and supports research that is particularly relevant to society. My research project fit well with the main topics of the first call, in particular with the topic of sustainability, so I just went for it – and it worked out! Now I have been working at the University of Bremen since March 2024.
© Annemarie Popp / Universität Bremen
What is special about YUFE4Postdocs?
YUFE4Postdocs is a joint Marie Skłodowska Curie Action of the YUFE universities and co-funded by the European Commission. When applying, participants select a YUFE university at which they would like to conduct their primary research. In addition, a research stay at one other YUFE university is also planned. That means in addition to my work in Bremen, I will also be doing research at the University of Cyprus. This will not only benefit me personally, but also my research group in Bremen, creating a new collaboration between both universities. One of the goals is also to increase academic networking not only between the YUFE universities, but also between the postdocs. There are currently 55 of us in the program, five of whom conduct research at the University of Bremen. We meet regularly at interdisciplinary network meetings, such as the one on “open science” and “community engagement” in Antwerp in November 2024. I like this kind of networking – it allows me to connect with researchers from all over Europe and from different academic backgrounds.
What is your research about?
My research focuses on the formation of natural hydrogen reservoirs on the ocean floor. Hydrogen is currently seen as the energy source of the future, for example, for use in fuel cells for buses. However, hydrogen is often produced indirectly from non-renewable sources. There are also natural reservoirs of hydrogen that are created when the ocean forms and tectonics plates diverge. During this process, rocks from the Earth’s mantle come into contact with ocean water. In a process called serpentinization, the rock reacts with the water and releases hydrogen. I am trying to understand exactly how this happens and how the hydrogen is distributed. This knowledge might serve as the basis for hydrogen extraction and its use as an energy source in the future.
The following researchers and research projects at the University of Bremen are currently participating in the YUFE4Postdocs program:
Dr. Gibson Kimutai: An IoT-based Federated Learning model for Personal Air Pollution Exposure monitoring. Faculty of Physics / Electrical Engineering; Fellow at the Hanse Institute for Advanced Study (HWK).
Dr. Larissa Galdino De Magalhães Santos: Responsible Procurement Practices for the GovTech Ecosystem in European Cities. Faculty of Mathematics / Computer Science.
Dr. Polina Ivanova: International students’ loneliness and social engagement in European university cities. Faculty of Pedagogy and Educational Sciences.
