FORGENIUS next generation of research leaders

Young researchers can bring fresh perspectives and innovative approaches to established fields. Their insights can challenge existing paradigms and lead to new discoveries as well as inspire others to pursue careers in research.

FORGENIUS brings together research organisations from across Europe bursting with young talent. This series of interviews aim to offer them a platform to showcase their work, expertise, and passion and facilitate constructive dialogue between young and established researchers.

During the third Annual Meeting held in Florence between 30 January and 2 February 2024, FORGENIUS project coordinator, Ivan Scotti, talked with postdoctoral researcher Aida Solé, a young Spanish researcher, who shared her experience participating in the project.

Aida, can you tell us who you are and what your background is?

I work at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) where I am a population geneticist, quantitative geneticist. I try to understand how the genetics and the environment interact and how these pieces will evolve in the future.

What's your role in the FORGENIUS project?

My research is focusing on the heritability of traits and differentiation of the adaptive capacity of several populations in many species.

In your opinion, what's the relevance of this project??

We can provide stakeholders and forest and conservation managers with additional information to develop politicyand management strategies, respectively, with real informed data and not just based on individual opinions.

What motivated you to work in this project, besides the topic itself?

We are facing a great challenge – climate change – and we can, and must do better. Providing information to make good decisions for the future is indispensable, and forest genetics is an important, though not common, field in forestry, making genetic information available is an asset.

You also worked in the GenTree project. Do you see a connection between the two projects? What do you think is the meaning of having these two projects that follow each other?

It’s important to keep track of the work on the long term and not have just a one-time viewpoint. Continuity on a subject allows to explore new questions and follow up on developments and securing long term funding is essential.

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