Sandra Patricia Loaiza Mera

Sandra Patricia Loaiza Mera currently works as a Research Assistant at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Cali, Colombia, while pursuing a PhD in Engineering and Applied Sciences at Pontifical Javeriana University. She has held the position of Research Assistant at CIAT since 2011.
Sandra completed her education in Colombia, earning her master's degree in 2017 from the National University of Colombia. Throughout her career, she has actively engaged in the field of climate change adaptation, specializing in quantifying Greenhouse Gas emissions from various crop systems, reservoirs, and tropical dams.

Currently, Sandra's research primarily focuses on rice farming, aiming to assess the system's impacts and identify rice varieties with low methane emissions. Additionally, she is evaluating agronomic management practices, specifically studying the effects of intermittent and continuous irrigation methods employed by small farmers in Tolima. This region serves as a significant representation of the farming systems employed nationwide.

With regards to publications, Sandra has authored and co-authored seven refereed journal articles and has delivered 17 oral or poster presentations. Furthermore, she has actively contributed to the capacity building of Ph.D., Masters, and Undergraduate students enrolled at universities in Colombia, Nigeria, the USA, Argentina, Nicaragua, Brazil, and Trinidad and Tobago. Additionally, she has served as a co-Principal Investigator in eight research projects funded by various donors. Overall, Sandra's professional experience encompasses a wide array of activities related to climate change adaptation and mitigation, specifically focusing on quantifying Greenhouse Gas emissions in diverse crop systems.