Some scientific careers do not follow the usual path. That of Xan Barreiro Xard\u00f3n is one of them. A researcher at the Centre for Research in Technologies, Energy and Industrial Processes (CINTECX) and a member of the BIOSUV group, he currently works in the field of water and soil decontamination using sustainable materials and advanced oxidation processes. However, his path into research was preceded by years of working outside academia and by a decision that transformed his professional career: returning to his studies when many would have considered it too late.<\/p>\n
A native of Xinzo de Limia, her interest in chemistry and environmental issues arose from a young age. Growing up in a region where pollution problems are part of everyday life sparked a sensitivity that would ultimately define her scientific interests. But economic circumstances forced her to abandon her studies and enter the job market.<\/p>\n
For years he worked as a bricklayer and lived in the Canary Islands. Later, the 2008 economic crisis once again constrained his professional opportunities and delayed his entry into university. Even so, he never gave up on the idea of getting an education and dedicating himself to what he was truly passionate about.<\/p>\n
\u2018I started my degree at 37<\/em>,\u2019 he recalls. What for many people might seem like an obstacle became an opportunity to reinvent himself professionally and to prove that age doesn’t have to be a limit on a life project.<\/p>\n Research without giving up on caring for the elderly<\/strong><\/p>\n Beyond his work as a researcher, Barreiro’s story also puts a face to a reality that is increasingly common, yet little-seen within the scientific system: reconciling a research career with the care of elderly relatives.<\/p>\n He lives with his 85-year-old father, a responsibility that shapes aspects of his daily work, from attending conferences to organising his time and travel. Each day begins early to travel the distance between Xinzo de Limia and Vigo, and continues after his working day with caregiving tasks and domestic responsibilities.<\/p>\n In this regard, Barreiro considers it necessary to broaden the perspective beyond measures traditionally aimed at childcare and also incorporate the needs of those who care for elderly relatives. Tools such as teleworking for data analysis tasks or scientific writing, as well as the consolidation of hybrid formats that allow participation in conferences and meetings without the need for constant travel, would facilitate these circumstances.<\/p>\n \u2018I wouldn’t sacrifice my dedication to my father for my research career<\/em>\u2019, she says. At the same time, she stresses the importance of continuing to promote measures that allow both aspects to be reconciled and prevent caregiving responsibilities from limiting professional development.<\/p>\n Xan Barreiro’s story is part of the CINTECX \u201cOpen Camera\u201d interviews with STEM Women and Men, an initiative that brings the private and professional experiences of those who carry out their research at the centre to the public. Their journey, marked by perseverance, environmental commitment and work-life balance, also features on the CINTECX calendar for September. As a final plea, Xan Barreiro launched a message aimed especially at those who believe that certain opportunities have an expiry date: \u2018It’s never too late to study, it’s never too late to start pursuing whatever our dreams may be. They are achievable, whatever our age or the situation we find ourselves in. Society needs more researchers, more science and more investment in science<\/em>.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" CINTECX researcher Xan Barreiro Xard\u00f3n returned to university at the age of 37 after decades working outside academia, and today develops sustainable solutions for the decontamination of water and soil while balancing his research with caring for his father.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":264833,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-264835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cintecx.uvigo.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cintecx.uvigo.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cintecx.uvigo.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cintecx.uvigo.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cintecx.uvigo.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=264835"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/cintecx.uvigo.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264835\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":264855,"href":"https:\/\/cintecx.uvigo.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264835\/revisions\/264855"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cintecx.uvigo.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/264833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cintecx.uvigo.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=264835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cintecx.uvigo.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=264835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cintecx.uvigo.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=264835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}