I believe that one of my responsibilities as a scientist working in biodiversity is to communicate and raise awareness about the biodiversity crisis, especially by helping younger generations see how they can make a difference. As part of the "A Ponte-USC" program, which connects high schools and scientists, I regularly visit schools to discuss global biodiversity conservation and macroecology. I have also developed several teaching resources about Biodiversity and Biogeography.
I am also aware that some of our Biology students do not enjoy computing and data analysis, often finding these skills difficult rather than useful or engaging. To help build their confidence in coding, I founded BioR, a Teaching Innovation Group focused on introducing R to undergraduate students with no prior experience and who want to apply it in biodiversity studies.
I also enjoy creating videos to make our science more accesible and (hopefully) enjoyable for the general public. I believe in Open Science and, by sharing our research this way, I hope to increase its visibility, foster collaboration, and show how cool our studies are! :-D. You can visit our YouTube channel or just have a look at the links below.
Another important focus of my work is supporting Women in Science, particularly raising awareness about the impact of maternity on scientific careers. I regularly participate in 11F and 8M events and was a co-founder of madresBDV, a now-inactive group for the visibility of scientific contributions made by “mums” in Biodiversity Science. I am also in the "Gender Equality Committe" at both my Research Institute (CRETUS) and the School of Biological Sciences (Facultad de Biología).
