Educational and Professional Background

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Science, where she focused on the identification of marginal lands for growing bioenergy crops in Europe (talk about foreshadowing!). During her Master’s in Climate Science, Sofia used a regional climate model to explore how a changing crop phenology and the regional climate interact with each other. She quickly realised that it’s this intersection between agriculture and climate science which really captivates her.

Through a perfect twist of fate, she then worked with the European Space Agency’s climate team, researching how agriculture and satellite-based technology can work together to address climate challenges – such as the provision of sustainable energy, and the mitigation of and adaptation to climate change.

What Got Her Into Research

Pursuing a PhD felt like the natural next step in her career, as her work became increasingly centred around climate change, agriculture, and bioenergy, and she wanted to deepen her understanding of the connections between these areas. Sofia was fortunate to find a PhD opportunity in the bioeconomy, a field that is inherently interdisciplinary and aligns with her belief that addressing global issues like climate change requires collaboration across diverse domains.

Why Bioeconomy

Sofia hopes to play her part in the project with her background in agricultural and climate sciences, and consequently contribute to a sustainable bioeconomy and climate action.

Current Research Focus

Sofia’s PhD research focuses on identifying the production potential of bioenergy crops in Europe, as well as the environmental impacts of these crops. Bioenergy plays a key role in the IPCC’s climate change mitigation pathways, but changing land use to grow more bioenergy crops also influences the regional climate. She is eager to explore this interaction further and see where else her research might lead – one of the great things she enjoys about doing a PhD.

Hobbies

When Sofia is not working, she enjoys reading, or gardening and watching the world go by (through a window, from a balcony, from a park bench, whichever is closest), two of her favourite ways to connect with nature.