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Sergio de los Santos-Villalobos is the director of the Microbial Resource Biotechnology Laboratory at Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora, Mexico, where his research spans microbial ecology, plant-microorganism-soil interactions, microbial inoculant production, and agro-ecosystem conservation using isotopic techniques. His work integrates ecological, physiological, biochemical, and genetic approaches, from in vitro studies to field-level application. He has organized and taught numerous workshops, served as President of international scientific congresses, and spoken as a plenary speaker at conferences worldwide. His contributions have been recognized by Mexico's National System of Researchers (Level 2), a special mention in the 2013 AgroBio Award, and the 2014 Tecnos Award for contributions to biotechnology. He serves on expert panels focused on soil conservation and microbial inoculant development and currently acts as Associate Editor for several journals in the field. Fannie Isela Parra Cota earned her PhD in Plant Biotechnology from the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) and is currently a Principal Researcher at the National Institute of Forestry, Agriculture, and Livestock Research (INIFAP). Her work focuses on agricultural biotechnology, particularly the study of plant-microorganism-soil interactions, the isolation and characterization of microorganisms with an agro-biotechnological approach, and the resistance mechanisms of wheat and maize to biotic stress (phytopathogenic fungi) and abiotic stress (drought, salinity, and heat). She is a Level I member of Mexico's National System of Researchers (SNI), contributing to advancements in sustainable agriculture and crop resilience. Valeria Valenzuela Ruiz is a researcher at the Laboratory of Microbial Resource Biotechnology at the Technological Institute of Sonora (ITSON), specializing in transcriptomic analysis of beneficial bacteria linked to biocontrol activity and plant growth promotion. She earned her Ph.D. from ITSON, where her work focused on the biocontrol mechanisms of Bacillus species against phytopathogenic fungi, with the aim of advancing sustainable agricultural practices. Her research integrates transcriptomic analysis and whole-genome mining to understand and enhance beneficial microbial traits in agriculture. Dr. Valenzuela Ruiz continues to contribute to the advancement of microbial biotechnology, promoting the development of bioinoculants and effective solutions for crop protection and growth enhancement. |
