Alicia  Perera Castro
Research  |  2023-24

Spain

Dr. Alicia Perera Castro is a researcher from the University of La Laguna (Canary Islands, Spain). She is hosted by Dr. David Hanson's group from the UNM Biology Departments for conducting the project “Popeye’s Plants: Cell Wall of Bryophytes as Enhancers of Photosynthetic Capacity”.

Dr. Perera has a Ph.D. in Plant Biology since 2021. Her versatility in utilizing specialized equipment for measuring Plant Ecophysiology has enabled her to conduct research in diverse areas, including the study of photoprotection and thermal limits of alpine plants and Antarctic mosses, quantification of desiccation tolerance mechanisms, and parameterization and modeling of photosynthesis and respiration in mosses, ferns, angiosperms, and gymnosperms. Her field research spans locations as varied as Antarctica, the high mountains of Colombia, Australia, and Finland. Dr. Perera has participated in numerous research projects, notably as principal investigator in the “RESPIRA” one ("Effect of rising temperatures on RESPIRAtion and carbon balance of peatland mosses", H2020).

Joining Hanson’s group is a golden opportunity provided by Fulbright Commission to broaden horizons in the field of gas exchange. In this project, Dr. Perera is exploring a new method for evidence cell wall properties that affect CO2 diffusion and fixation by plants. This will allow also shedding some light on the variability of cell wall properties in a wide phylogenetic range of plants and the structural factors that limits their productivity.