Natalia Fonseca is Associate Professor at the Technical University of Madrid (UPM) and researcher at INSIA. Her work focuses on sustainable mobility, internal combustion engines, pollutant emissions, energy efficiency, and alternative fuels, including hydrogen, biomethane and synthetic fuels. She is actively involved in research and innovation projects aimed at decarbonising the transport sector and supporting the transition towards cleaner energy systems.
In my opinion, Women in Hydrogen is an important initiative because it helps build and strengthen professional networks among women working in the hydrogen sector. It provides opportunities to exchange knowledge, foster collaborations, and connect professionals from academia, industry, and policy. It also plays a valuable role in increasing the visibility of the work and achievements of women in hydrogen-related fields, helping to inspire future generations and promote greater diversity within the sector.
Dr Natalia Fonseca is an Associate Professor at the Technical University of Madrid (UPM) and a researcher at INSIA, one of Spain’s leading automotive research institutes. She holds a PhD in Thermal and fluid mechanical Engineering and has developed her academic and research career in the fields of sustainable mobility, internal combustion engines, energy efficiency, and pollutant emissions.
Throughout her career, she has participated in numerous national and international research projects related to alternative fuels, vehicle emissions, engine technologies, and transport decarbonisation. Her work combines experimental research, technology assessment, and collaboration with industry, contributing to the development of cleaner and more efficient transport solutions.
In recent years, her research has increasingly focused on low-carbon and renewable fuels, including hydrogen, biomethane, biofuels, and synthetic fuels. She is currently involved in projects exploring the integration of hydrogen in heavy-duty transport applications and the role of hydrogen-fuelled engines in the transition towards sustainable mobility.
Alongside her research activities, Dr Fonseca is actively involved in higher education, supervising undergraduate, master's and doctoral students, and promoting knowledge transfer between academia and industry. She is committed to supporting innovation, diversity, and collaboration within the energy and transport sectors.
(2026) Emissions measurement during roadside inspection of heavy-duty vehicles. Environ Sci Eur. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-026-01421-9
(2026). Analysis of sub-micrometric particulate emitted by different types of internal combustion engines: a Raman microscopy and a Principal-Component Analysis study. Environ Sci Eur 38, 65. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-025-01271-x
(2025). Assessment of NOx concentration levels during periodic technical inspection idle test of SCR‑equipped diesel vehicles. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-025-01155-0
(2024). Measuring NOx during periodic technical inspection of diesel vehicles. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-024-01002-8
(2024). Euro 7 proposal assessment of a Euro VI parallel hybrid electric bus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2024.104125
(2024) Butanol and selective catalytic reduction of gaseous emissions in a heavy-duty diesel engine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2024.132236
(2023). Assessing on-road emissions from urban buses in different traffic congestion scenarios by integrating real-world driving, traffic, and emissions data. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161002
(2022). Investigation of diesel/n-butanol blends as drop-in fuel for heavy-duty diesel engines: Combustion, performance, and emissions. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2022.115334
(2021). Effects of passenger load, road grade, and congestion level on real-world fuel consumption and emissions from compressed natural gas and diesel urban buses. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.116195