Natalia Castejón

Personal Information

  • Family name, First name: Castejón, Natalia

Academic Career

  • Since 06.2021 Marie Curie REWIRE Fellow at the Department of Food Chemistry and Toxicology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna (working group of Doris Marko). Topic: Novel cascading approaches based on green chemistry to valorize microalgal biomass by proving potential biological activities.
  • 05.2020 - 05.2021 Assistant Professor at the Institute of Analytical Sciences and Physico-Chemistry for Environment and Materials (IPREM), Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour (Assoc. Prof. Susana Fernandes) Topic: Green extraction approaches for obtaining red seaweed compounds (bioactive molecules and biomacromolecules)
  • 01.2019 - 01.2020 Postdoctoral position at the Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Iceland (Prof. Kristberg Kristbergsson and Prof. Gudrun Marteinsdottir) Topic: Electric field-based technologies for the extraction of bioactives from Icelandic seaweeds to be used in cosmetics products
  • 09.2013 - 10.2018 PhD in Food Science, Department of Food Science, Faculty of Chemistry, Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) (Thesis Supervisor Prof. F. Javier Señoráns) PhD thesis: New sources of omega-3 oils to produce healthy lipids using green extraction technologies and enzymatic modification

Research Stays

  • 10.2017 - 12.2017 Temporary stay at the Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Biotechnology and Enzyme Catalysis, University of Greifswald (Prof. Dr. Uwe T. Bornscheuer) Topic: Alteration of fatty acid specificity of lipases
  • 01.2015 - 05.2015 Temporary stay at the Institute of Catalysis and Petrochemistry, Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) - (Prof. José M. Guisán) Topic: Synthesis of lipase derivatives with improved stability

Education

  • 2013 - 2018 (31th October) PhD in Food Science - Summa cum laude Autonomous University of Madrid
  • 2012 - 2013 Master in Agricultural Chemistry and Novel Foods (Specialization in Food & Health) Autonomous University of Madrid
  • 2010 - 2012 Food Science and Technology Degree Autonomous University of Madrid
  • 2007 - 2010 Human Nutrition and Dietetics Degree Autonomous University of Madrid

Awards

  • 2021 Young Scientists to Watch from the American Oil Chemists' Society
  • 2020 H.P. Kaufmann Prize 2020 from the German Society for Fat Science (DGF)

Publications

Poster Presentations

  • 09/2023 Castejón N., Pühringer M., Rampler E., Marko D.: "Unlocking the Potential of Microalgae as Bio-factories of Polar Lipids: A Lipidomic and Bioactivity Perspective", Talk at the 19th Euro Fed Lipid Congress and Expo, Poznan, Poland
  • 06/2023 Castejón N., Zwander S., Pühringer M., Zazirna M., Tischler W., Varga E., Rampler E., Marko D.: "A green multi-product approach for the valorization of Microchloropsis gaditana: lipids, proteins, and other high-value compounds", Algal Biomass, Biofuels and Bioproducts (AlgalBBB), Waikola, Hawaii, USA

Oral Presentations

  • 05/2023 Castejón N., Pühringer M., Rampler E., Marko D.: “Microalgae as green factories of lipids: insights from lipidomic analysis and bioactivity testing”, Talk at the American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS) Annual Meeting & Expo 2023, Denver, Colorado, USA
  • 12/2022 Castejón N., Pühringer M., Rampler E., Marko D., Unlocking the lipidome of Nannochloropsis gaditana: a source of high-value lipids with potential biological activities, ALGAEUROPE 2022, Rome, Italy
  • 10/2022 Castejón N., Pühringer M., Rampler E., Marko D., Nannochloropsis gaditana as a sustainable solution for lipid production: from lipidomics analysis to bioactivity screening, Algae Biomass Summit, Online
  • 09/2022 Castejón N., Pühringer M., Rampler E., Marko D., Microalgae as Sustainable Solutions for Lipid Production. From Lipidomics Analysis to Bioactivity Screening, 10. International Symposium on Recent Advances in Food Analysis (RAFA 2022)
  • 11/2021 Castejón N., New sources of omega-3 oils to produce healthy lipids using green extraction technologies and enzymatic modification, Invited talk at the DFG Jahrestagung 2021, XVII. H.P.Kaufmann Tage, Leipzig, Germany
  • 09/2021 Castejón N., Novel cascading approaches based on green chemistry to valorize microalgal biomass by proving potential biological activities, Biorefineries for algae biomass - ALGAE Workshop of the European Algae Biomass Associations (EABA), Online
  • N. Castejón and F.J. Señoráns. Enzymatic modification for the production of healthy lipids from new omega-3 sources: chia, camelina and echium oilseeds. 18th European Congress on Biotechnology, Geneve (Switzerland), July 2018.
  • N. Castejón and F.J. Señoráns. Strategies for Enzymatic Synthesis of Structured Triacylglycerols from Camelina sativa Oil Enriched in EPA and DHA (poster pitch). 15th Euro Fed Lipid Congress, Uppsala (Sweden), August 2017.
  • N. Castejón, P. Luna and F.J. Señoráns. Lipid Extraction from the Wet Microalgal Biomass of Nannochloropsis gaditana using Pressurized Liquids. 14th Euro Fed Lipid Congress, Ghent (Belgium), September 2016.
  • N. Castejón, P. Luna and F.J. Señoráns. Production of 2-Monoacylglycerols with Stearidonic acid from Echium plantagineum Oil Catalyzed by an Immobilized Lipase with Improved Stability. 14th Euro Fed Lipid Congress, Ghent (Belgium), September 2016.
  • N. Castejón, S. Moreno-Pérez, G. Fernández-Lorente, F.J. Señoráns and J.M. Guisán. Synthesis of Omega-3 Ethyl Esters from Chia Oil Catalyzed by Polyethylene Glycol-Modified Lipases. Oral Communication Keynote. 1st International Biotech Ibero-American Congress, Salamanca (Spain), June 2016