Quick Facts
Biography
Elena Ramírez Vine (born 1972) is a Spanish scientist studying the negative effects that produces the environmental stress (drought, salinity of the soil, excess of radiation, presence of heavy metals and the high and low temperatures). Her purpose is to improve harvests.
Life
Elena Ramírez Vine graduated in Biological Sciences at the Autonomous University of Madrid. She also has a doctorate in Molecular Biology from the same university (2000).
She has developed her research in the Centre of Biotechnology and Genomics of the Plants of the National Institute of Investigation and Agricultural and Alimentary Technology (INIA) and UPM, studying the negative effects that produces the environmental stress in plants.
Her investigation characterises the mechanisms of plants in response to external stresses like drought, the salinity of the soil, the presence of heavy metals and extreme temperatures. She tries to create a generation of new varieties that will improve the harvests.
Along her career, she has published many scientific articles.
In November 2010, she was awarded, with four scientists (Isabel Ballasts Becker, Ana Briones Alonso, Mercedes Vila and Mª Antonia Smith), with the L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science. This endowment of €15000 is to reward the work of investigation for women scientists younger than 40 years.