María Escudero-Escribano (Cáceres, 1983) graduated in Chemical Engineering from the University of Extremadura and obtained her Ph.D. in Electrochemistry from the Autonomous University of Madrid (2011). She was a postdoctoral researcher at the Technical University of Denmark and Stanford University. In 2017, she joined the University of Copenhagen as an Assistant Professor, and she became an Associate Professor in 2021. Since 2022, she has been an ICREA Research Professor and Group Leader at ICN2. She received an ERC Consolidator Grant (2022) and is a member of the Young Academy of Spain. She has received numerous prestigious awards, including the European Young Chemist Award (Gold Medal, 2016), the Princess of Girona Award (2018), the ECS Young Investigator Award (2018), the RSEQ Young Researchers Award (2019), the Clara Immerwahr Award (2019), the Royal Academy of Sciences Foundation Award for Young Female Talent (2024), and the “María Teresa Toral” National Research Award (2024).
Research interests
María’s research combines electrochemistry, materials engineering, and advanced operando characterisation, including in situ spectroscopy and scanning probe microscopy, to establish design principles for tailored interfaces and catalysts. Her group develops novel materials and electrochemical processes for renewable energy conversion and the sustainable production of green fuels and chemicals. The NanoElectrocatalysis and Sustainable Chemistry Group at ICN2 focuses on: (1) nanomaterials for energy conversion and storage; (2) electrochemical CO2 reduction to fuels and chemicals; (3) sustainable electrosynthesis of value-added chemicals; (4) surface nanostructuring and atomic ensemble control; (5) nitrate reduction and electrochemical C-N coupling; and (6) electrochemical activation and partial oxidation of methane. This latter line is supported by an ERC Consolidator Grant (2022) to develop atomic-scale tailored materials for methane conversion into valuable products.
Selected publications
- Sebastián-Pascual P, Herzog A, Zhang YR, Shao-Horn Y, Escudero-Escribano M, 2025 'Electrolyte effects in proton–electron transfer reactions and implications for renewable fuels and chemicals synthesis', Nature Catalysis, 8, 10, 986 - 999
- Arminio-Ravelo JA, Favero S, Escudero-Escribano M, 2025 'Why Testing Protocols Matter in Electrochemical Methane Oxidation: Insights from IrOx in Acid', ACS Energy Letters, 10, 10, 4842 - 4848
- Costa GF & Escudero-Escribano M 2025, 'Electrode-Electrolyte Engineering and In Situ Spectroscopy for Urea Electrosynthesis from Carbon Dioxide and Nitrate Co-Reduction', JACS Au, 5, 4, 1538 - 1548.
- Barroso-Martínez JS & Escudero-Escribano M 2025, 'In Situ Elucidation of Reaction Mechanisms in Electrocatalysis Using Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy', ChemCatChem, 17, 15, e00352
Selected research activities
Received the Royal Academy of Sciences Foundation Award for Young Female Talent (2024) in the Physics, Chemistry, and Related Sciences category, awarded by the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences Foundation, February 2025. This award recognises the scientific excellence and social impact of female researchers under the age of 45.
Received the “María Teresa Toral” National Research Award (2024) in Chemical Science and Technology, July 2025.
Plenary lecture, “Tailored nanomaterials for renewable fuels and chemicals production”, Nanoseries International Annual Conference, Valencia (Spain), June 2025.
Invited lecture, “Unveiling emerging electrocatalytic reactions: interface engineering and real-time insights”, SUNCAT Summer Institute 2025, Stanford University (USA), August 2025.
Invited lecture, “In situ characterisation and electrode-electrolyte engineering for oxygen electrocatalysis”, 76th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry (ISE), Mainz (Germany), September 2025.
Invited seminar, “Electroquímica y nanomateriales para un futuro sostenible”, ACS Science Talks (online, in Spanish), American Chemical Society, October 2025.