Article written by Marta Ribó.
The first SRAP-IEAP “Research Bites” event in New Zealand was held in the University of Auckland on Thursday 26th May. Four SRAP-IEAP members gave talks about their research work in New Zealand.
Mónica Gañán
Mónica Gañán presented her professional trajectory: She completed her PhD in microbiology at the Spanish National Research Council in the area of intestinal microbiota modulation by probiotics and natural compounds. Her postdoctoral experience took her to explore different areas, including new non-thermal technologies for food processing and the use of natural compounds as topical antifungals. Currently she brings together researchers, public funders, and industry to implement complex bespoke projects and partnerships that accelerate the development of innovations and new technologies.
Evert Duran Quintero
Evert Duran is a research fellow at the University of Auckland. His research is focused on geophysical techniques, and he presented the Euler Deconvolution, which can be used to estimate the depth to a magnetic body from aeromagnetic data. Guessing the depth correctly can aid the process of inversion of geophysical data by constraining the geometry and extent of the mesh grids while also providing clues to set better informed regularization parameters. In other words, help us follow the solutions to the non-unique problem of inversion that are geologically plausible. Some modelling examples in my research have shown the limitations and possibilities of this approach.
Sònia García
Sònia García presented her research on the regulatory interventions that may enable greater transparency of the seafood value chains, focussing on the potential of labelling and traceability to prevent illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The EU, the US and Japan, three of the largest seafood markets in the world, have adopted such measures to verify the legality of the seafood sold in their markets. While increased use of labelling and traceability may reduce the incentives to trade in illegally fished seafood, the extent of their impact and their potential mainstreaming remain unclear.
Marta Ribó
Marta Ribó is a marine geologist research fellow at the University of Auckland, and her research is centered in the study of contemporary sediment dynamics and the hydrodynamics controlling the changes on seabed morphology. She presented her research career trajectory, starting to investigate the marine environment in the Mediterranean, to the SE Australian margin and the work she is currently conducting in New Zealand. Her expertise focuses on understanding the seafloor geomorphology in shallow and deep waters and assessing the impact on the seabed of human activities, including plastic pollution and anchor drag marks. Her work involves using a wide range of methodologies spanning from seafloor mapping, seabed sampling and hydrodynamic monitoring; all conducted during scientific surveys on board of research vessels.