Dr. Pilar Fernández Ibáñez holds a PhD in Applied Physics from the University of Granada (2004), a degree in Physics from the University of Granada (1994) and a Master Applied Physics and Environmental Sciences from the University of Almería (Almería, 1997). Lecturer in Engineering Science at Ulster University (UK, 2017). Previously Senior Researcher at Plataforma Solar de Almería of CIEMAT (Spain, 2003-2016) and head of the Solar Treatment of Water Unit.

Research focus on solar driven technologies for water purification with wide experience in advanced oxidation processes for the removal of microbiological pathogens and hazardous chemical contaminants from water, using solar reactors for field applications on drinking water, wastewater disinfection and irrigation reuse of treated wastewater.

Participated in 19 EU-funded research projects in this area. Fernandez recently moved to Ulster (2017) to establish her research focused on low-cost technologies in ODA countries. Since then she has secured two H2020 projects on water (H202-PANI WATER, and H2020-REWATERGY) and a RS-Newton mobility grant with Stellenbosch Univ. (SUN). She is CoI and work package leader in GCRF-SAFEWATER (Latin America) and H2020-WATERSPOUTT (Sub-Saharian Africa) projects. Published 139 peer-reviewed papers (H= 46, total citations > 6,700).

Fellow of the Institute of Physics, Member of the Engineering Research Institute at Ulster. Associate Editor for Europe of the Journal of Photochemistry & Photobiology, A: Chemistry (Elsevier). Member of the Editorial Board of the Process Safety and Environmental Protection (Elsevier,). Guest editor in a number of Special issues of several Elsevier journals, including Solar Energy, Applied Catalysis B, and Catalysis Today (2005- up to now). Member of the Ethics Filter Committee in the Faculty of Computing and Engineering at Ulster University. Member of the Royal Irish Academy Climate Change and Environmental Sciences Committee.