Qualifications
- PhD / DPhil (University of Bristol)
Summary
After his integrated MSc Chemical Engineering (environmental specialism), Pedro did his PhD at the University of Bristol (2004-2007) funded by a Marie Curie grant from the EU. After a short stage in the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL, Heidelberg, 2007-2009), he joined the Cardiovascular Research Centre at the University of Girona (2009), where he gained a Sara Borrell Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Spanish Government (2011-2014). Pedro then joined the University of Hull in 2015 as a Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences, becoming a Senior Lecturer in the Hull York Medical School in 2022.
Some of the research that we do is in youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JtVvdFJsnc
Pedro is the Programme co-Director of the MSc Health and Climate Change, where he leads on several modules. The MSc Health and Climate Change is a course for current or future health leaders who realise that climate change is the greatest threat to human health of the 21st century (WHO). The University of Hull has an international reputation for research focused on the environment and on human health. The University is within the world's top 100 in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings (2022) and 82% of our research is recognised as world-leading or internationally excellent (REF 2021).
We have been classified as a 1st Class University (24 our of 153) in the People and Planet 2022/23 University League, which ranks UK universities against sustainability and ethics criteria – our two key themes in Strategy 2030.
Pedro additionally teaches on a variety of modules including Biochemistry (L4), Biological Basis of Disease (L5), Muscle Fitness and Failure (L6), and Clinical Biochemistry (Level 6).
Pedro additionally contributes to teaching of UG and PG students in modules including Skills for Biomedical Scientists and supervises UG and PG students during their final research projects.
Journal Article
Environmental and financial cost of surgical-site infection by severity after lower limb vascular surgery
Lathan, R., Daysley, H., Ravindhran, B., Lim, A., Cutteridge, J., Sidapra, M., Long, J., Hitchman, L., Beltran-Alvarez, P., Carradice, D., Smith, G., & Chetter, I. (2025). Environmental and financial cost of surgical-site infection by severity after lower limb vascular surgery. BJS Open, 9(3), Article zraf015. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsopen/zraf015
Social context prevents heat hormetic effects against mutagens during fish development
Feugere, L., Silva De Freitas, C., Bates, A., Storey, K. B., Beltran-Alvarez, P., & Wollenberg Valero, K. C. (2025). Social context prevents heat hormetic effects against mutagens during fish development. FEBS Letters, https://doi.org/10.1002/1873-3468.70047
Environmental fluoxetine promotes skin cell proliferation and wound healing
Rodriguez-Barucg, Q., Garcia, A. A., Garcia-Merino, B., Akinmola, T., Okotie-Eboh, T., Francis, T., Bringas, E., Ortiz, I., Wade, M., Dowle, A., Joyce, D. A., Hardman, M. J., Wilkinson, H. N., & Beltran-Alvarez, P. (2024). Environmental fluoxetine promotes skin cell proliferation and wound healing. Environmental pollution, 362, Article 124952. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124952
Environmental factors influence cross-talk between a heat shock protein and an oxidative stress protein modification in the lizard Gallotia galloti
Gilbert, E., Žagar, A., López-Darias, M., Megía-Palma, R., Lister, K. A., Jones, M. D., Carretero, M. A., Serén, N., Beltran-Alvarez, P., & Wollenberg Valero, K. C. (2024). Environmental factors influence cross-talk between a heat shock protein and an oxidative stress protein modification in the lizard Gallotia galloti. PLoS ONE, 19(3 March), Article e0300111. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0300111
Report
Understanding the use of wood-burning stoves in the East Riding - a postnote
Oresanya, T. O., Norfolk, K., Mullen, S., Taylor, J., Durham, G., & Beltran-Alvarez, P. Understanding the use of wood-burning stoves in the East Riding - a postnote. East Riding of Yorkshire Council
Research interests
Research Mission: to investigate adaptation responses to environmental changes, with a focus on human health.
Pedro has enjoyed external funding as lead investigator from a variety of bodies, including since 2020: the British Heart Foundation, NERC, YBTC, HERCTF for a variety of research projects around the above theme.
Lead investigator
Project
Funder
Grant
Started
Status
Project
NERC Discipline Hopping: Fish on chips: developing a new microfluidics model as a tool for testing and mitigating the effects of environmental and biological contaminants on fish
Funder
Natural Environment Research Council
Grant
£13,582.17
Started
1 December 2022
Status
Complete
Project
Which is the role of arginine methylation of cardiac troponin I in cardiovascular disease?
Funder
Hull & East Riding Cardiac Trust Fund
Grant
£29,875.00
Started
1 January 2019
Status
Complete
Co-investigator
Project
Funder
Grant
Started
Status
Project
HEIF: Pursuing a Climate Resilient and Net Zero Hull: Academics, Policymakers and Youth Voices
Funder
University of Hull
Grant
£41,112.00
Started
4 September 2023
Status
Complete
Postgraduate supervision
Pedro proudly supervises students interested in biochemistry and post-translational modifications, in a variety of systems from cardiovascular to environmental models.
Current PG students include:
- Lauric Feugere (3rd year PhD student, second supervisor), who is interested in stress signalling in fish in the context of climate change
- Antonia Barry (1st year PhD student), who is interested in brain disease
-Quentin Rodriguez (1st year PhD student), who is interested in the effect of environmental pollution
-Ed Gilbert (1st year PhD student), who is interested in genetic and biochemical markers of adaptation to environmental change
Past supervision: Dr Donatus Onwuli (graduated 2018), Dr Sabrina Samuel (graduated 2021) and Dr Alistair Marsden (2023)