Natalia Ramirez Carrera

Natalia Ramírez is a postdoctoral researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Alnarp, where she focuses on potato crop health, particularly interactions with pathogens such as Phytophthora infestans and biocontrol agents like Pythium oligandrum.

During her PhD, she contributed to environmental advocacy through the University of Akureyri’s Environmental Council, promoting improved wastewater treatment in Iceland. She also gained teaching experience in various undergraduate modules and completed a course in Arctic Microbiology at the University of Svalbard in 2023.

Born in Madrid in 1995, Natalia earned a BSc in Environmental Science from the Autonomous University of Madrid (2018), followed by an MSc in Plant Biology and Biotechnology from University College Dublin. In 2020, she began her PhD in Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Akureyri, Iceland, conducting part of her research at the University of Birmingham (UK) and INRAE ​​​​(France).

My research focuses on the development and application of biological control agents and biostimulants, with a particular emphasis on potato. I specialise in plant and microbial microbiomes and metabolomics, investigating how microbial communities and plant metabolic responses interact to influence crop health, growth, and resilience.

I am currently involved in several interdisciplinary projects integrating microbiome and metabolome analyses to improve our understanding of plant–microbe interactions. These projects include investigating microbiomes associated with wild Solanum species, intercropping systems, and a wide range of potato cultivars, with the aim of identifying beneficial microorganisms and developing more sustainable strategies for crop protection and production.

In addition to my research, I actively collaborate with stakeholders and companies across the agricultural sector, working to bridge fundamental research and practical applications and to translate scientific knowledge into innovative solutions for sustainable agriculture.