My research combines microbial ecology, environmental genomics and biogeochemistry to understand how microorganisms survive, interact and contribute to ecosystem functioning in some of Earth’s most remote and rapidly changing environments.

My scientific journey began in Chile, where I developed an early interest in microorganisms adapted to environmental extremes. I completed a Master’s degree in Microbiology at the Universidad de Concepción (2017–2020), studying DNA repair mechanisms involved in UV-B radiation resistance in Antarctic and Patagonian bacteria. This work introduced me to polar and subpolar ecosystems and sparked a lasting interest in how microorganisms adapt to environmental stress and shape ecosystem processes.

My current research focuses on the microbial diversity and ecological organisation of the Patagonian cryosphere. Through fieldwork across glacier surfaces, subglacial environments, proglacial lakes and fjords, I use metabarcoding, metagenomics and bioinformatic approaches to investigate microbial communities, primary producers, nitrogen cycling and ecosystem connectivity. I am particularly interested in understudied ecosystems and in understanding how species interactions and microbial food webs emerge in low-nutrient environments.