Mallorca researcher wins €1,000 for plastic sea study

A €1,000 prize in Palma recognises research into plastic pollution across the Balearic Sea. Valentina Fagiano, a postdoctoral researcher at the Oceanographic Centre of the Balearic Islands, received the award on 9 September 2026. Her doctoral work examined where microplastics end up in marine ecosystems and how they are carried through the sea.

One of six research prizes

Fagiano was one of six winners in the fourth Relevant Doctoral Thesis Awards, organised by the Department of Postgraduate Studies and Specialisation at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). Each prize carries €1,000.

She defended her thesis, Studying the effects of marine plastics on coastal ecosystems in the Balearic Sea, at the University of the Balearic Islands in May 2025. Carme Alomar Mascaró and research professor Salud Deudero, both from the Oceanographic Centre of the Balearic Islands, supervised the work.

From the surface to deeper waters

The research looked at the distribution, composition and fate of microplastics, from the sea surface to deeper parts of the Balearic Sea. It also studied the part played by marine organisms in moving the particles.

Fagiano identified copepods as important stores and carriers of microplastics. Her current research focuses on the links between microplastics and zooplankton, including their role in flows of plastic particles and associated carbon in a sea under human and environmental pressure.

Topics: Sea & coast · Environment

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com