Hi! I'm Anaïs Barrera and this is me in my natural habitat, the Mediterranean Sea! I'm from Caldes de Montbui, a little village close to Barcelona, but I consider myself a citizen of the world since during the last years I've been having a very nomadic way of living. I did my bachelor on Environmental Biology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and pursued my desire of dig deeply on Marine Biology by doing an Erasmus at the University of the Alrgarve during my last bachelor year.

I'm interested on coastal ecosystems collapse and how climate change modulates these responses, especifically on seagrasses and macroalgae, and apply it on marine forests restoration. It is very important for me to find the applicability of research in common life because science should involve everyone, not just scientists. That is why scientific communication and citizen science are of interest for me. Moreover, I see it as an opportunity to apply my other artistic passions together with science for a greater good such as conservation or scientific communication.

Within GMIT, the Marine and Freshwater Research Center (MFRC) is the department in charge of conducting research in aquatic ecosystems with a very dynamic group of researchers (post-doctoral and post-graduate staff), academics (also teaching in GMIT’s undergraduate courses) and students (Master’s and PhD students). The main purpose of the MFRC is to enhance the management of the marine and freshwater ecosystems worldwide under three main principles: enabling sustainability, conserving biodiversity and improving productivity.