Dr Maria José Farré recently joined the organic chemistry department at Aigües de Barcelona, one of Europe's leading water utilities serving over 3 million people, where she is transitioning into a leadership role focusing on drinking water quality and safety. With over 15 years of experience in water treatment research and innovation, she brings valuable expertise in disinfection byproduct formation and control to the utility sector. Her career includes positions at the Advanced Water Management Centre (AWMC) in Australia and the Catalan Institute of Water Research (ICRA, Spain), where she held prestigious Marie Curie and Ramon y Cajal Fellowships and coordinated several projects, including the Horizon Europe funded project intoDBP. Dr Farré, who holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, has authored over 70 publications and serves as an editor for the Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering and Desalination and Water Treatment. At Aigües de Barcelona, she is part of an organic chemistry laboratory that combines regulatory compliance analysis with an innovative approach to water quality monitoring.