Dr. María Teresa García López

Professional Profile

Recent Achievements
• Seal of Scientific Excellence from the European Commission in MSCA-PF-2023 and 2024 (94% and 85%)
• Juan de la Cierva Fellowship recipient (2024-present)

International Experience
• Postdoctoral research across 4 continents
• 18-month research stay at UC-Davis, California
• Research experience in Kenya, Spain, and USA

I am genuinely passionate about my career as an agricultural engineer, which has taken me on an incredible journey across four continents. My focus areas include plant pathology, mycotoxin biocontrol, and innovative farming technologies. Currently, I'm working as a Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Sustainable Agriculture in Cordoba, Spain, exploring plant stress responses using advanced phenotyping technologies to address challenges like olive verticillium wilt and wheat yellow rust, all with a commitment to promoting sustainable agriculture through innovation and international collaboration.

Areas of Specialization

Plant Pathology & Biocontrol
Aflatoxin biocontrol, disease epidemiology, microbial ecology

Advanced Phenotyping
Image analysis, spectroscopy, hyperspectral imaging

Data Science & AI
Python programming, machine learning, deep learning

International Collaboration
Multilingual research, cross-cultural project management

Professional Experience

Juan de la Cierva Postdoctoral Researcher

Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (IAS-CSIC), Córdoba, Spain

2024 - Present

Development of advanced phenotyping techniques and image analysis for early disease detection in cereals and olive using NIR spectroscopy and machine learning.

Postdoctoral Researcher

Department of Agronomy, University of Córdoba (UCO), Spain

2022 - 2024

Research on olive cold tolerance and fungal disease epidemiology. Managed the Olive Varieties Examination Centre for UPOV protocols.

PhD Researcher (Joint Programme)

UC-Davis (USA) & University of Córdoba (Spain)

2017 - 2022

Doctoral research on aflatoxin biocontrol with 18-month stay at UC-Davis. Defended thesis with cum laude honors.

Research Associate

International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Nairobi, Kenya

2016

Crop modeling using CropSyst for agricultural sustainability assessment in the Tana River basin.

Academic Education

PhD in Agricultural Sciences (cum laude)

University of Córdoba, Spain

2022

Thesis: "Study of inoculum dynamics of aflatoxin biocontrol agents in nuts"
International stay: 18 months at UC-Davis, California

Master's in Crop Production, Protection and Breeding

University of Córdoba, Spain

2015

Agricultural Engineering Degree

University of Córdoba, Spain

2014

Scientific Publications

11

JCR Publications

200

Citations

6

H-Index

9

First Author

📚 Complete Publication List

For a detailed list of all publications, including manuscripts in preparation and under review:

🔗 View Full Publication List on Google Scholar

📄 ORCID Profile

Recent highlights include manuscripts on Verticillium wilt detection, aflatoxin contamination modeling, and wheat yellow rust characterization - all utilizing cutting-edge hyperspectral imaging and machine learning techniques.

Technical Skills

Plant Pathology

Disease epidemiology
Biocontrol strategies
Mycotoxin analysis
Pathogen identification

Phenotyping & Imaging

Hyperspectral imaging
NIR spectroscopy
Image analysis
Remote sensing

Programming & Data

Python programming
Machine learning
Statistical analysis
Data visualization

Laboratory Techniques

qPCR and RT-PCR
Microbiology
Molecular biology
Biochemical assays

Current Research Projects

MERCEDES - Improving cereal yield stability

PID2023-149687OR-C33. Advanced phenomics for screening physiological traits in cereals focused on quantification and early detection of leaf fungal diseases and water stress.

Role: Postdoctoral Researcher | Duration: 4 years (2024-2028) | Budget: €186,250

CERESTRES - Advanced phenomics for cereals

PID2020-118650RR-C33. Advanced phenomics for screening physiological traits aimed at quantification and early detection of leaf fungal diseases and water stress.

Role: Team Member | Duration: 4 years (2021-2025) | Budget: €156,090

EPIDEMIOLIVE - Olive Disease Epidemiology

Epidemiology of airborne fungal diseases of olive and wild olive: spore dispersion, infection patterns, temporal trends, and risk prediction models.

Role: Co-Investigator | Duration: 4 years (2022-2026) | Budget: €156,090

CDTI - Hepatocarcinogenic Fungi in Dried Fig

Characterization and control of hepatocarcinogenic fungi in dried fig cultivation in collaboration with Coop. Valle del Jerte.

Role: Co-Supervisor (PhD student: Zakaria Janfi) | Budget: €99,220

Awards & Recognition

🏆 MSCA-PF-2023: Score 94% - Seal of Scientific Excellence
🏆 MSCA-PF-2024: Score 85% - Seal of Scientific Excellence
🏆 Juan de la Cierva Fellowship: 2024-present
Environment and Geosciences (ENV) Panel - European Commission

International Experience

Research Across 4 Continents

🌍 Europe: Spain (UCO, IAS-CSIC), Netherlands (conferences)
🌍 North America: USA (UC-Davis, 18-month research stay)
🌍 Africa: Kenya (CIAT-Nairobi, crop modeling)
🌍 South America: Collaboration with Paraguay (invited lectures)

Supervision & Teaching

Current PhD Supervision

Zakaria Janfi (2023-present): "Risk factors for aflatoxin contamination in fig trees in the Jerte Valley, Spain, including search for biological control agents"

Completed Supervisions

Undergraduate Students: 4 Agricultural Engineering students at UCO (all highest qualifications)
Postgraduate Students: 2 students - 1 Agricultural Engineering (UCO) + 1 international student at CIHEAM Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza (both highest distinctions)

Teaching Experience (2019-2024)

Plant Pathology: 45 hours theoretical lectures in Master's in Agricultural Engineering: Integrated Crop Protection and Bachelor's in Agricultural Engineering and Rural Environment (UCO)
Evaluation: Member of evaluation panels for 6 master's and bachelor's thesis defenses (2022-2024)

Workshop Organization

2021: "Basic Knowledge of Sustainable Oliviculture" - Online course for Bolivians (UCO-Universidad Mayor de San Simón, Cochabamba)
2019: "Open Science" seminar - Round of talks with invited speakers (UCO)