Avellán, Tamara

Biography

Tamara Avellán is a Research Fellow in the Water Resource Management Unit at UNU-FLORES. Her studies in biology led her to focus on the ecological impacts of water quality on aquatic life. Her interest in the effects of excess nutrient loads on plant morphology prompted her to look at increased sewage loads in watersheds. Dr. Avellán worked with local farmers of the small Flores Creek in Uruguay to find sustainable solutions to the increasing sewage loads of their milking parlours. Her research led to the instalment of the first constructed wetland using carefully researched endogenous plant species in 2008. Dr. Avellán obtained her PhD in 2014 from the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, under the supervision of Prof. Wolfram Mauser. Her dissertation looked into the optimal spatial distribution of crops based on topography, soil conditions and climate. From 2011 to 2015 she also worked at the World Meteorological Organization in Geneva, at first as a German Junior Professional Officer and later as regular staff. She supported the early phases of the Global Framework for Climate Services and led various projects on climate services in Small Island Developing States. At UNU-FLORES Dr. Avellán has returned to her roots in the world of water and its related research, looking into the linkages of water, soil and waste while reducing resource loss.

Research Interest

Characterization and management of integrated systems (hydrological; biogeochemical; hydrogeochemical cycles) Ecosystems and Disaster Risk Reduction Global Change & Sustainable Development Knowledge Translation and Brokering Natural resource management in catchment area Water Resources Management