Constanza Toro Valdivieso

Constanza's first degree is in veterinary medicine, but after a few years of small animal clinical experience, she decided to transition into academia. Now, she is a scientist interested in combining molecular biology and bioinformatics with studying wild populations from non-invasive samples.

She recently completed her PhD at the University of Cambridge. Her research focused on exploiting a range of molecular techniques to develop a non-invasive method to study a poorly-studied endemic pinniped. More specifically, she used faecal samples to look at heavy metal exposure, host genetics and the faecal microbiome of the Juan Fernández fur seal, a poorly studied endemic pinniped from the Juan Fernández archipelago.

She closely collaborates with Fundación Endémica, a local NGO that works to promote scientific development and ensure scientific discovery becomes available to the community of the Juan Fernández archipelago.