THESE ARE THE WORKSHOP MODERATORS!

IPATEC, CONICET – Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Argentina.

Workshop moderator

March 6^th: Ecology, environment and society, at 3.35 pm

Dr. Natalia Fernández is a researcher from Bariloche, Argentina. She got her Biologist degree in 2006 and obtained her PhD in 2012 from the Universidad Nacional del Comahue. She did a postdoc at the same Institution until 2014 and in 2018 she did another postdoctoral training at the Institute of Botany, in Průhonice, Czech Republic. She has been working as a researcher in CONICET since 2014 and as an Assistant Professor at the Universidad Nacional del Comahue since 2008. Her main interests are to describe the bioecology of important forestry species and the importance of mycorrhizas and other soil fungi for different ecosystem processes, together with finding the way of using soil fungal communities as biotechnological tools (biofertilizers, biocontrol, bioindicators). She aims to find relevant information to optimize domestication programs of native forestry species as well as to improve policies of conservation and restoration of natural environments.

CIEFAP, CONICET, Argentina

Workshop moderator

March 6^th: Ecology, environment and society, at 3.35 pm

PhD in Biology. She develops activities at CIEFAP Forest Research Center as independent researcher of CONICET, and teaches "Forest Pathology" and "Ecosystem Services and non-wood forest products" at Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco. Her research tasks are focused on Applied Forest Mycology: study of mycorrhizae in plantations and Patagonian native forest, its taxonomy, ecology, management and introduction in forest nurseries, and the multidisciplinary study of wild edible fungi present in the forest environments of the Patagonian region.

Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile

Workshop moderator

March 7^th: Biodiversity and Physiology, at 3.35 pm.

Dr. Aguilera is Professor and Researcher at Scientific and Technological Bioresources Nucleus (BIOREN-UFRO), Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile. She is an expert on taxonomy studies to investigate arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi diversity present in agricultural plants and native forest, also with the study of the contribution of these fungi to plants growing in acid soils with high aluminum levels. Due to her constant work, she has great experience in visualization of propagules in roots, soil, reproduction and maintenance of mycorrhizal collection and generation of bioproducts. Co-founder of the South American Mycorrhizal Network, she is also Founder of Myconativa Ltda.

IMBIV, CONICET - Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina

Workshop moderator

March 7^th: Biodiversity and Physiology, at 3.35 pm.

Dr. Francisco Kuhar is a mycologist specialized in fungal diversity (gasteroid and ectomycorrhizal fungi) and biotechnological applications of fungal enzymes. He is also an assistant professor of Mycology at Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco, junior researcher at CONICET in the Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biologia Vegetal (IMBIV - UNC) and Curator of Cryptogams at the CORD Herbarium.

Universidad de La Frontera, Chile

Workshop moderator

March 8^th: Sustainable development and management, at 5.05 pm.

Dr. Pablo Cornejo Rivas is agronomist from Universidad de La Frontera, Chile and Doctor in Agricultural Biology by Universidad de Granada, Spain. Dr. Cornejo is specialist in the interactions between soil, plant and microbes in rhizosphere processes and other disciplines in soil sciences and plant biology. His research focuses on the role of arbuscular mycorrhizae under diverse environmental stresses as the remediation of soils contaminated with toxic elements, use in plants growing in saline soils or in the nutrition of plants growing in acidic soils. Also, he is leading a group of researchers focused in the biotechnological applications of AM fungi (development of bioproducts) and also other microbial groups, as the yeasts. Currently, Dr. Cornejo’s focus is related to the mechanisms by which the AM symbiosis induces tolerance in plants to cope with the osmotic stress (drought, salinity, thermic stress) and in the efficient phosphorus use and acquisition in volcanic soils. The above research approaches involve experimental investigations at the ecosystem, field, soil, rhizosphere and plant level, using at the present powerful molecular, omics and analytical tools. Finally, Dr. Cornejo is Head of the Center of Research in Mycorrhizae and Agri-Environmental Sustainability, CIMYSA.

Universidad del Comahue and IPATEC, Argentina

Workshop moderator

March 8^th: Sustainable development and management, at 5.05 pm.

Dr. Sonia Fontenla is Argentine, born in Necochea, Buenos Aires Province. She has lived in Patagonia for 30 years. She is a Biochemist graduated from the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (1981). Sonia got her PhD in Biological Sciences (2000) from the Universidad Nacional del Comahue (UNCo), Argentina. She was awarded the Research Category I CONEAU and got a permanent position as Professor-Researcher at the Universidad del Comahue in the area of ​​Microbiology, with the current position of Associate Professor. Her interests in research are related to microbiology of soil and plants, and go from mycorrhizal ecology and community studies to interactions of microorganisms. She has formed a research group that studies mycorrhizae and other soil-plant microorganisms in native environments of Patagonia and in commercial and forest plant species of the region. Dr Fontenla has done long and short research internships in Spain, USA, South Africa, Germany, Lisbon and Czech Republic. She has published 38 articles in international journals with referees and 86 presentations in congresses, together with several dissemination works and conferences. She has been active part of the committee and/or advised 6 undergrad thesis, 5 completed doctoral thesis and 4 in progress with CONICET and AGENCIA grants. In total she has been advisor in Doctorate, Post Doctorate and CIC scholarships for CONICET, University scholarships and CIN scholarships. She has accompanied interns and assistants of different levels of formation in their training: secondary, university degree and postgraduate, national and international. She is active part of several commissions in the University and in CONICET, being part of evaluation courts for undergraduate (11), doctoral (2) and Research Projects MINCyT, MAGyP, UNComahue and various scientific journals.