Maria Eliza Villarino

Ma. Eliza J. Villarino is a research fellow at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT and leads the engagement and agenda-setting work package of the CGIAR Initiative on Low-Emission Food Systems. A Ph.D. candidate at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, she specializes in the role of institutions in facilitating zero deforestation in agrifood value chains in conflict-affected settings. This UNFCCC Secretariat-accredited technical expert was a senior journalist at Devex, a global newsroom known as the “Bloomberg of International Development” which she helped build. Eliza also comes from a strong policy and science communication background.