Dr Carretero-Palacios is a Tenured Scientist at the Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ICMM-CSIC), where she leads the theoretical efforts of the SMSLab. Her research focuses on modeling light–matter interactions at the nanoscale, with applications in optoelectronic devices, nanostructured materials, sustainable technologies, and Casimir forces with optical materials. As Principal Investigator, she has secured multiple national projects—including Transición Ecológica y Digital, Consolidación Investigadora, and Generación de Conocimiento—as well as international funding through the MSCA Doctoral Network. She completed her PhD in Physics at the University of Zaragoza with an FPI Fellowship, including a stay at the Australian National University, and pursued postdoctoral research at LMU Munich, the Institute of Materials Science of Seville, and the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, supported by prestigious fellowships such as the Alexander von Humboldt and Juan de la Cierva. In recognition of her mentoring, she received the 2024 Best Early-Career PhD Supervisor Award from CSIC, and she is actively engaged in initiatives promoting inclusivity in science.