What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy a lot every single step in the development of a research project, although some of them come with quite a bit of stress. I’d say what I enjoy the most is being able to discuss biodiversity conservation with agricultural producers. Co-designing research with them, discussing the relevance of diverse animals for crop production and coming up together with feasible strategies to improve habitats for animals in agricultural areas is the whole reason why I do my job. It gives me the feeling that the research I do makes sense and has an impact on what people do on their everyday lives. It is still not always a positive outcome, but it lets me (and the farmer communities I work with) identify other key stakeholders that must be involved in our research projects, to make sure they have an impact on practice.
What is your favourite thing to do when you are not working?
I spend most of my free time with my dog, Nelly, and love every second of it. I enjoy spending time outdoors with her, taking long walks or bike rides. She is a stubborn dog, but I have loved the challenge of training her and getting ourselves synchronized. I think we make a great team!
What is your research specialisation and why is it so interesting?
I specialize in tropical agroecology research. This means that I try to understand how agricultural practices and biodiversity impact each other, and how we can apply this knowledge to benefit both crop production and biodiversity conservation in the most diverse areas of the world. Me and my colleagues study the diversity of different animal groups in agroforestry areas and try to assess how the thing these animals do (what they eat, which resources they use) affects crop production. For example, animals that pollinate such as bees, some bats or hummingbirds are largely responsible for all the food we eat! But so are birds and bats that eat insects that can harm crops. I find it very interesting to study how the trophic preferences of animals (what they prefer to eat, at which time of the day and year) can directly and indirectly impact agricultural production.
What was your dream job as a child?
I dreamed to be a wildlife veterinarian. I imagined myself in the savannahs in Africa and the jungles in South America healing elephants and jaguars. I’m not working with such large mammals by choice (I now much prefer flying creatures as bats!), but I did not land so far from my dream! I still get to spend time in tropical forests, while trying amazing fruits such as native cacao in Peru!
Who would you like to meet for a coffee?
I would have loved to meet Marie Curie for a coffee and share experiences as migrant women scientists. But that is not possible anymore for obvious reasons! Currently I am very interested in storytelling, an art that is actually quite relevant in our field as scientists (writing a captivating research paper is quite a rare skill!). I’d like to meet Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie to share a coffee and talk about these things. Her skill to make readers feel in the feet of her main characters, and to transmit the charecters’ emotions is impressive!
