WELCOME

I lead a double life... but this is not a secret. I am an Independent Perfumer and fragrance educator, and, randomly, an Astrobiology Doctoral Researcher at the University of Westminster and Natural History Museum in London.

In fragrance, I am a perfumer with more than two decades of experience as a nose and fragrance educator, the Nose behind my own brands, Marina Barcenilla Parfums and AromAtom, and the fragrance creator for other British brands including Romilly Wilde and Nostara. I also founded my own School of Creative Perfumery that teaches in English and in Spanish, and I am an Academician at the Spanish Academia del Perfume. 

In Science, I have a First Class Honours degree in Planetary Science with Astronomy from Birkbeck, University of London, and I am on the last few months of a PhD in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry and Biophysics. My current research focus is the detection and characterisation of spectroscopic biosignatures on Mars by working with analogue samples from a number of locations on Earth. I am also  an active science communicator, a member of the Astrobiology Society of Britain Committee and a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.

My public engagement and outreach activities involve delivering talks in Planetary Science, Astrobiology and Astronomy to children and adults, and producing events for my space science outreach project AromAtom, founded in 2017. I also design space science related activities for museums, science and discovery centres. 

aromatom:
​discover the smell of space

AromAtom is for everyone. At its most basic level, its primary aim is to demystify science by presenting it as a fun and accessible experience that anybody can participate in, regardless of age, education or background. 

research

My current research is focused on the search for biosignatures on Mars. I am also interested in the search for life on Europa and icy planetary bodies of the Outer Solar System.

PERFUME

I began creating fragrance more than twenty years ago, since then I have created two independent perfume brands, worked as a Nose for other companies, and a Creative Perfumer in various artistic, literary and scientific projects. I have been teaching and mentoring other independent perfumers for over a decade, and nowadays I share everything I know through my own school. 

science communication and public engagement

Astrobiology talks and educational activities for schools, learned societies, museums and discovery centres.