Committees

Chair

Rocío Tarjuelo

Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC).

Rocío Tarjuelo

Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC).

I am a conservation ecologist interested in understanding the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms shaping the dynamics of wildlife populations and communities, with the aim of developing science-informed solutions to protect Earth’s biodiversity. My research trajectory is closely linked to the study of agroecosystems, where I have explored how biotic interactions and agricultural management influence the physiology and behaviour of farmland organisms, as well as species' distributional ranges, population trends, and community composition. My work has generated specific conservation actions and agricultural management prescriptions that promote biodiverse and resilient farmland landscapes.

Scientific Committee

Francisco Valera

Scientific Researcher at the CSIC

Francisco Valera

Scientific Researcher at the CSIC

Scientific Researcher at the CSIC. My research has focused on studying interactions between organisms, considering a wide range of interactions at various levels of organization, the effect of the environment on the outcome of such relations, and the consequences of these interactions on biodiversity conservation. This variety of approaches aims to understand the ecological and evolutionary consequences of interactions between organisms through their effects on reproductive success. My current lines of work are: i) Harmonization of renewable energies and biodiversity conservation; ii) Agriculture and biodiversity conservation; iii) Parasite-host interactions; iv) Ecology of arid zones.

Paola Semenzato

Conservation biologist at D.R.E.Am. Italia

Paola Semenzato

Conservation biologist at D.R.E.Am. Italia

Paola Semenzato is a conservation biologist at D.R.E.Am. Italia, a cooperative providing technical-scientific consultancy for the sustainable management of land and natural resources. She holds a PhD in movement ecology and works on wildlife conservation and management. She supports Protected Areas and Natura 2000 sites through biodiversity monitoring, conservation and management planning, and spatial/landscape planning for land-use and infrastructure projects. She also focuses on sustainable agricultural ecosystems, coordinating the LIFE OLIVARES VIVOS+ project to enhance biodiversity in Mediterranean olive groves.

Jose Manuel Herrera

Assistant Professor at the Institute for Viticulture and Agrifood Research. University of Cadiz

Jose Manuel Herrera

Assistant Professor at the Institute for Viticulture and Agrifood Research. University of Cadiz

Jose M. Herrera Assistant Professor (Profesor Permanente Laboral). Institute for Viticulture and Agrifood Research. University of Cadiz. My research integrates field-based and quantitative ecological approaches to investigate the environmental drivers shaping species’ spatial distribution patterns under global environmental change. Beyond species- and community-level responses, I am particularly interested in understanding how global change alters biotic interactions and how these cascading effects influence ecosystem processes and services.

Eva Murgado

Professor and researcher in the area of Marketing and Market Research, in the Department of Management, Marketing and Sociology. University of Jaén.

Eva Murgado

Professor and researcher in the area of Marketing and Market Research, in the Department of Management, Marketing and Sociology. University of Jaén.

Eva María Murgado-Armenteros University of Jaén, University Institute for Research on Olive Groves and Olive Oils, Spain, emurgado@ujaen.es She is a Professor and researcher in the area of Marketing and Market Research, in the Department of Management, Marketing and Sociology. She received the Extraordinary Doctorate Award and is Head of the MARKUJA research group (code SEJ-315). Her research focuses on agri-food marketing, pro-environmental consumer behavior and olive oil tourism. She has participated in 72 research projects and knowledge transfer contracts. She is co-author of 30 articles in indexed journals, 8 books, 15 book chapters and more than 80 contributions to national and international conferences. She has received 4 research awards. She served as Vice-Rector for Communication and Institutional Outreach at the University of Jaén (2017-2023).

Sergio Valdelomar Muñoz

Professor and researcher in the area of Marketing and Market Research, in the Department of Management, Marketing and Sociology. University of Jaén.

Sergio Valdelomar Muñoz

Professor and researcher in the area of Marketing and Market Research, in the Department of Management, Marketing and Sociology. University of Jaén.

Sergio Valdelomar-Muñoz He is a Professor and researcher in the area of Marketing and Market Research, in the Department of Management, Marketing and Sociology. He received the Extraordinary Master's Award and is a member of the MARKUJA research group (code SEJ-315). His main research interests focus on pro-environmental consumer behavior, agri-food marketing, and olive oil tourism. He has participated in four research projects. He is co-author of 4 articles in indexed journals, 3 book chapters and more than 40 contributions to international conferences. He has received 2 research awards.

Georgios Koubouris

Research Director at the Olive Growing Laboratory in Hellenic Agricultural Organization ELGO-DIMITRA, Institute of Olive Tree, Subtropical Crops and Viticulture, Greece.

Georgios Koubouris

Research Director at the Olive Growing Laboratory in Hellenic Agricultural Organization ELGO-DIMITRA, Institute of Olive Tree, Subtropical Crops and Viticulture, Greece.

Georgios Koubouris Research Director at the Olive Growing Laboratory in Hellenic Agricultural Organization ELGO-DIMITRA, Institute of Olive Tree, Subtropical Crops and Viticulture, Greece. Published more than 95 papers in SCOPUS, participated in over 40 research projects and managed grants for over 3M€. The scientific leader of the project Oliveclima awarded as best project for climate action in Europe by the European Commission, LIFE, 2019. Executive Editor, Associate Editor, and member of the editorial boards of international scientific journals in Frontiers, Springer Nature, MDPI and others. Evaluator for EC and several countries. Invited expert by international organizations every year for the last decade.

Juan Vilar

CEO of Juan Vilar Strategic Consultants

Juan Vilar

CEO of Juan Vilar Strategic Consultants

Juan Vilar, CEO of Juan Vilar Strategic Consultants, holds a PhD in Economics and is a tenured professor and Director of the Olive Oil MBA at the University of Jaén, as well as a member of its Social Council. He is also part of the Caja Rural Chair of Olive Oil Economics, Marketing and Cooperativism at the University of Jaén, and of the Olive Oil Innovation University Chair (Aula Universitaria Oleícola Innova) at UNIA (International University of Andalusia). He was a global executive at the GEA Group for over 16 years, where he held the positions of President, CEO, and Managing Director. He has authored more than 1,200 scientific and outreach publications and has been a keynote speaker in over 30 countries. In addition to this extensive professional career, he is also an olive grower.

José Muñoz

Senior researcher at the Mediterranean Institute of Agriculture, Environment and Lecturer in the Development & Department of Landscape, Environment and Planning at the University of Évora

José Muñoz

Senior researcher at the Mediterranean Institute of Agriculture, Environment and Lecturer in the Development & Department of Landscape, Environment and Planning at the University of Évora

Senior researcher at the Mediterranean Institute of Agriculture, Environment and Lecturer in the Development & Department of Landscape, Environment and Planning at the University of Évora. He is a rural geographer and landscape ecologist specializing in the assessment of sustainability and governance strategies for Mediterranean rural landscapes and farming systems. He has participated in circa 50 research projects funded at EU, National, and Regional levels, and is currently managing (amongst others) the research team in Portugal for the "Increasing the Impact of Life Olivares Vivos +" project. He is the co-editor of the book "The Olive Landscapes of the Mediterranean. Key challenges and opportunities for their sustainability in the early XXIst Century" published by Springer in 2024 (DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-57956-1). He is also a member of the editorial boards of the journals Landscape Ecology (Springer), Discover Sustainability (Springer) and Frontiers in Remote Sensing (Frontiers). Along with his scientific activities and achievements (and perhaps more importantly) he runs a small organic olive farm in Alentejo (Portugal) where he lives with his family....and other animals.

Anastasio J. Villanueva

Senior researcher in agricultural and environmental economics and policy in the Dpt. of Agri-food Economics in the Institute of Agricultural and Fisheries Research and Training (IFAPA)

Anastasio J. Villanueva

Senior researcher in agricultural and environmental economics and policy in the Dpt. of Agri-food Economics in the Institute of Agricultural and Fisheries Research and Training (IFAPA)

Senior researcher in agricultural and environmental economics and policy in the Dpt. of Agri-food Economics in the Institute of Agricultural and Fisheries Research and Training (IFAPA) (from 2019 on), in Granada (Spain). Most of his research concerns interdisciplinary analyses involving economic, social and environmental sciences, with a particular focus made on the economic valuation of non-market services (especially biodiversity, soil conservation, and climate-related) associated with agri-food production, including both supply- and demand-side assessments. He has coordinated research under numerous EU, national and regional research projects, producing more than one hundreds scientific publications, many of them in highly-ranked journals. Webpage: https://www.uco.es/investiga/grupos/weare/people/anastasio-villanueva/ ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1384-8372

María Rivera Méndez

Postdoc Researcher at the University of Évora

María Rivera Méndez

Postdoc Researcher at the University of Évora

María Rivera Méndez is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Évora, with an interdisciplinary profile and experience in social innovation, governance, and the transformation of agri-food systems. María works with participatory methodologies, action research, and Living Labs, collaborating closely with local stakeholders in rural contexts. She has contributed to several European projects focused on sustainability, ecosystem services, and territorial development.

Kiki Varikou

Head of the Entomology Laboratory in Hellenic Agricultural Organization ELGO-DIMITRA, Institute of Olive Tree, Subtropical Crops and Viticulture, Greece

Kiki Varikou

Head of the Entomology Laboratory in Hellenic Agricultural Organization ELGO-DIMITRA, Institute of Olive Tree, Subtropical Crops and Viticulture, Greece

Kiki Varikou is an Entomologist (Research Director) and Head of the Entomology Laboratory at the Institute of Olive Tree, Subtropical Crops and Viticulture (ELGO–DIMITRA) in Chania, Crete, Greece. She has over 25 years of research experience in plant protection and integrated pest management with particular expertise in olive fruit fly management; pests of olives, citrus and avocado; bioassays and evaluation of insecticides; rearing of pest and beneficial insects; remote monitoring of insect populations; parataxonomy on solitary bees and ants; and monitoring studies on pollinators. She has published more than 35 scientific articles and participated in numerous national and international research projects.

Irene Guerrero

School of Agricultural, Food and Biosystems Engineering, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

Irene Guerrero

School of Agricultural, Food and Biosystems Engineering, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

Irene Guerrero is a terrestrial ecologist specialised in agroecosystems. Her research focuses on the impact of agricultural management on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Throughout her career, she has also developed extensive experience in providing scientific support for the design and development of policies aimed at sustainable agriculture and ecosystem restoration across a range of institutions. She is currently a lecturer at the School of Agricultural, Food and Biosystems Engineering, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, where she carries out her teaching and research activities.

Verónica Hernandez-Jimenez

School of Agricultural, Food and Biosystems Engineering, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

Verónica Hernandez-Jimenez

School of Agricultural, Food and Biosystems Engineering, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

Assistant Professor at the School of Agricultural, Food and Biosystems Engineering of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, within the Department of Agricultural Economics and Policy (since 2023). She previously served as an Associate Lecturer at the Faculty of Geography of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, teaching courses related to spatial planning and rural development. She has extensive professional experience in promoting agroecological transitions and leading participatory facilitation and action-oriented processes, gained through fifteen years of work at the Observatory for a Culture of Territory.