PhD in Climate Research
March 2024 – Ongoing
Wageningen University
Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Supervised by Dr. Hester Biemans and Dr. Spyros Paparrizos
- Candidate at the Wageningen Institute for Environment and Climate Research
Résumé
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Master of Science in Climate Studies
Sep. 2021 – July 2023
Wageningen University
Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Specialisation: Climate, Society and Economics.
- Thesis: Study of the State of Pineapple Leaves Valorisation in the Context of Circular Bioeconomy in Costa Rica.
- Relevant courses: Earth and Ecosystems, Climate Smart Agriculture, Ecological Modelling, Environmental Economics.
Bachelor of Science in Economics
Sep. 2015 – May 2021
Complutense University
Madrid, Spain
- Specialisation: World Economics.
- Thesis: Factors Influencing the Rate of Sorted Solid Waste Collection: An Empirical Analysis in Catalonian Municipalities. With Honours and published in a peer-reviewed journal.
- Relevant courses: Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Development Economics, Advanced Macroeconomics.
Experience
Wageningen University
March 2024 – Ongoing
PhD Researcher
Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Project: Foodshed Climate Services for Sustainable Development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SAFE4ALL).
Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel)
February 2023 – September 2023
Research Intern
Kiel, Germany
- Supervised by Dr. Wilfried Rickels at the Global Commons and Climate Policy group.
- Worked on a scientific paper assessing European progress toward SDG 14 - Life Below Water. Conducted literature review, data collection, statistical analysis, and data visualization.
- Contributed to advancing a theoretical model for an ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal incentive scheme. The project involved the integration of economic principles and ocean carbon cycle dynamics. The paper is a work in progress.
Open Science Community Wageningen
September 2022 – September 2023
Research Analyst
Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Led a survey initiative targeting university staff to assess perceptions and adoption of open science principles and practices. Responsibilities included survey design, data analysis and report writing. The report highlighted the need for further training and support to promote specific open science practices.
- In charge of website maintenance and redesign project. Used Hugo, Markdown, HTML, and CSS to enhance the site's functionality, aesthetics, and user experience. The new website was launched in September 2023.
Wageningen University
June 2022 – September 2022
Fieldwork at the Environmental Economics and Natural Resources Group
Pital, Costa Rica
- Supervised by Dr. Francisco Alpizar
- Conducted in-depth interviews with over 15 stakeholders to gather insights into circular economy practices.
- Implemented a Fuzzy Cognitive Map and successfully translated interview data into actionable recommendations for addressing environmental issues.
- Applied a Supply Chain Optimisation model using Python, enabling efficient allocation of biomass processing plants within the pineapple supply chain.
Projects
Academic Consultancy Training
March 2022 – May 2022
Climate Adaptation Services
Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Collaborated as a member of a six-student team to deliver a three-month, full-time consultancy project.
- This research effort included data collection, analysis of policy frameworks, and the synthesis of findings into actionable insights.
- Our report included a set of recommendations and best practices on how to implement a monitoring framework for climate adaptation.
Publications
Saldivia Gonzatti, I., Siderius, C., Paparrizos, S., & Biemans, H. (2026). Process-based seasonal crop yield forecasting for early warning in Sub-Saharan Africa. Environmental Research Letters. 10.1088/1748-9326/aea797
Rischer, C., Saldivia Gonzatti, I., Friess, D. A., Grasse, P., Keller, D., Krause, J. R., Lück, S., MacPherson, C., McHenry, J., Merk, C., Troxler, T., Voss, R., & Rickels, W. (2026). An ecosystem of carbon dioxide removal reviews – part 2: CO2 removal via blue carbon ecosystems. Energy & Environmental Science, 19(12), 3719-3755. 10.1039/d5ee04922a
Saldivia Gonzatti, I., Smolenaars, W., Siderius, C., Biemans, H., & Paparrizos, S. (2026). Contextualising seasonal forecasts to accelerate their uptake for agricultural decision-making. Environmental Research Letters, 21(1), 011001. 10.1088/1748-9326/ae2a52
Spenger, C., Saldivia Gonzatti, I., Kröger, L., Fleet, C. R., Voss, R., & Rickels, W. (2024). Strong versus weak sustainable development in the blue economy: a study of 15 EU coastal countries. npj Ocean Sustainability, 3(1), 48. 10.1038/s44183-024-00082-6
Saldivia Gonzatti, I., Jannes, G., & Barreal, J. (2022). Factors influencing the rate of sorted solid waste collection: An empirical analysis towards local management in Catalonia (NE Spain). Cities, 131, 104038. 10.1016/j.cities.2022.104038
Other publications
Saldivia Gonzatti, I. & Rickels, W. (2025). Balancing ocean health and economic growth: The role of sustainability metrics in the EU. VoxEU, Centre for Economic Policy Research. Read article
Technical Skills
- Data Analysis
- Python Pandas, NumPy, SciPy, statsmodels, Xarray, netcdf4 R dplyr, tidyr
- Data Visualization
- Python Plotly, Matplotlib, Seaborn R ggplot2, Shiny ArcGIS StoryMaps
- GIS
- Python GeoPandas, Fiona, Shapely, OSMnx, Folium
- Version Control
- Git
- Document Preparation
- LaTeX
- Office Suite
- MS-Office, LibreOffice
- Operating Systems
- Linux, Windows
Languages
Spanish: Native Speaker. English: Proficient (C1). German: Elementary (A2).
Updated September 21, 2026