VICTORIA
FERRERO VAQUERO

I am an evolutionary botanist with strong interests in different features on breeding system in plants and animal-plant interactions. I completed my PhD (Cum Laude) in the University of Vigo and held several postdocs at the Centre for Functional Ecology (Coimbra), the University of Toronto (Canada) and the Institute for Mediterranean and Subtropical Horticulture "La Mayora" (IHSM-UMA-CSIC) from 2010 to 2020. My major research goal has been to understand the causal role of species interactions in driving the evolution of adaptive phenotypes, and the consequences of that evolutionary change in nature. In particular I have been largely focused on how animal-plant mutualists (mainly pollinators) are related to the maintenance and the evolution on mating systems in plants, and the consequences of transitions in reproductive systems. For this I have used three frameworks: floral polymorphism, biological invasions and plant crops. My research is empirical, interdisciplinary and conceptually-driven: I develop novel hypotheses based on current theory, and I test these hypotheses with a combination of natural population surveys, common garden experiments, and molecular tools. I have large experience in fieldwork, experimental design as well as expertise in different analytical tools, good skills in genetics and bioinformatics, and a great capacity for procuring funding and collaborating with international researchers. Currently, I am working as an assistant professor at the Department of Biodiversity and Environmental Management in the University of León (Spain).