Homeward Bound Expedition

Alicia Pérez-Porro's passions encompass both science and the experience of scientists and science in society. With more than a decade of research, she also works to make science more inclusive, understandable and creative. Originally from Barcelona, she holds a Master's degree in Biodiversity, a PhD in Biology on marine sponge ecology and genomics, conducted at Harvard University, and is currently a research associate at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Recognizing the barriers women face in science, she has created and chairs the Women in Science Commission (MECUSA) of the Association of Spanish Scientists in the United States.

Telecommunications engineer with twelve years of experience in the field of renewable energies at ACCIONA Energy in Spain. She has installed communication systems in wind farms in five continents and is currently in charge of the operation and maintenance of the control center systems. He holds a Master's degree in Cybersecurity and his area of specialization is industrial control systems. She loves mountains and cycling and she is involved in a project for the recovery of an abandoned village in order to turn it into an "ecovillage".

Ana Payo is a passionate scientist about to defend her PhD on the effects of environmental variability and perturbations on seabird population dynamics at IMEDEA-CSIC-UIB/University of Barcelona. She believes that addressing the challenge of "empowering" women and involving people in science has never been more urgent to avoid the loss of scientific talent and ensure innovation capacity, excellence and competitiveness in the future. That is why she invests most of her free time in science outreach activities with Big Van.

Alexandra Dubini, a researcher at the University of Córdoba, studied and obtained her PhD in Molecular Biology at the University of East Anglia, UK (2005). She worked for 10 years (2005-2015) as a research scientist at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the United States, where she focused on understanding the metabolic pathways involved in the production of biofuels, from green algae and more specifically hydrogen production. Recently he has dedicated his work to wastewater bioremediation using a consortium of algae and bacteria. She collaborates with numerous laboratories around the world and is eager to promote algae as the next energy source. She frequently engages in outreach and student training activities, including collaboration with NASA. In addition, she is a yoga teacher and massage therapist. In her spare time, she loves dancing, skiing and traveling.