DoctorMaria Gutierrez Gines

My background in Environmental Sciences (Universidad de Alcala, Spain) sparked my interest in the complex and multi-faceted relationships between people and the environment, for good and for bad. During my PhD in Ecology and Conservation (Universidad de Alcala and CSIC, Spain), which focused on the development of plant communities in contaminated soils, this interest narrowed down a bit more in terrestrial ecosystems, and mostly soils and plants. My post-doc in Lincoln University (New Zealand) brought me to the realm of organic waste, and how to circularise its resources to improve soil health and plant nutrition. My position as Team Leader Biowaste in ESR (New Zealand) allowed me to fully explore my Environmental Science skill set and mind-set where I could work much broader in this topic, with scientists, communities, regulators, consultancies, and industry in a really enriched environment.