Alicia Pérez-Porro facts for kids

Alicia R. Pérez-Porro was born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1981. She is a Spanish marine biologist who studies marine sponges. She is also an environmental activist and works to support women in science. Since 2018, she has been the president of the Association of Spanish Scientists in the United States (ECUSA). She works to help women get leadership roles in science.

What Alicia Does

Alicia Pérez-Porro earned her doctorate in Biology from the University of Barcelona. Her research focused on how marine sponges live and their genes. She did this work at the Center for Advanced Studies in Blanes and at Harvard University. She also has a Master's degree in Biodiversity from the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

In 2004, Alicia received a scholarship to study at the University of Costa Rica. This is where she started her main research on marine sponges. She studies how climate change affects marine sponges on coral reefs. She also looks at how these sponges can adapt to changes in the ocean.

Alicia is very active in fighting against plastic waste in the sea. In 2018, she wrote several articles about this for the digital newspaper El Independiente. Today, she teaches Environmental Sciences at Baruch College in New York. She is also a research associate at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C., which is part of the Smithsonian Institution.

Leading the Way for Women in Science

In 2017, Alicia was chosen to join an expedition to Antarctica. This was part of a program called Homeward Bound. One thousand women scientists and technologists took part in this program. It helps women become leaders and fight against climate change. Alicia is also part of the leadership team for the 500 Women Scientists group. This group aims to make science more open and inclusive.

Alicia is the president of the Network of Associations of Spanish Researchers and Scientists Abroad (RAICEX). Since March 2019, she has also been the president of the Association of Spanish Scientists in the United States (ECUSA). She started the Women in Science Commission (MECUSA) within ECUSA. This group works to promote and highlight the important role of women in science.

Awards and Recognition

In 2018, Alicia Pérez-Porro and three other Spanish scientists received a special award. They got the Gold Medal of the Red Cross and the Spanish Red Crescent. This was for their participation in the Homeward Bound expedition.

That same year, she was named a Women inPower Fellow. This award is given to women who are strong leaders. In 2019, she was selected to be an Aspen Ideas Festival Scholar. This festival brings together leaders from around the world to discuss important ideas.

See also

In Spanish: Alicia Pérez-Porro para niños