Dr. Beatriz Díez got a PhD in Biology at Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (UAB) – Institute of Marine Science (CMIMA- CSIC), Spain in 2001. During her PhD, she revealed the identity, diversity and distribution of completely new picoeukaryotes in the marine environments using for the first time molecular methods. She worked as a postdoctoral (funded by Swedish Research Council) at Stockholm University between 2002 and 2005, and between 2006 and 2008 as Assistant Professor studying the phylogeny, activity and ecological significance of nitrogen-fixer cyanobacteria in marine systems. From 2003 to 2005 she was also Assistant Professor at the University of Alicante, Spain. From 2008-2010 she worked at CMIMA-CSIC in Barcelona (Spain) as Assistant Professor where she continues studying the microbial ecology of marine systems. In 2010, she got a position as Assistant Professor at Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, P. Catholic University of Chile, where since 2016 she is Associate Professor.

The main framework of research in BDíez-Lab (bdiezlab.com) is the study of the structure, function, adaptations (metabolic and genetic), and interactions of microbial and viral communities in marine and extreme environments. She investigates microbial ecological role, impacting the biogeochemical cycles, as well as their responses to changes and environmental disturbances and adaptations, using a combination of quantitative molecular, genomic, metaomics, and biogeochemical approaches. She has got 3 book chapters and 49 publications in peer- reviewed journals (several in the ISME Journal, one of the most prestigious journal in the microbial ecology research area) and has led or co-led 35 research competitive Chilean government (FONDECYT, INACH, PCI, ECOS, CONA) and international (MISTI-MIT International Science and Global Initiatives Technology Seed Funds, USA; FAPESP-Chile-Brasil) funded grants. At present, she is PI of the Fondecyt 1190998 (2019-23) “El Tatio geysers field as a model system to study virus-host interactions and local adaptations”, and of the INACH; RT_04_19 (2020-2023) “Identity and effect of RNA and DNA viruses on the dynamics of bacterio- and phytoplankton in Bahía Chile (Antarctica)”. She is also PI of the Millennium Institute Center for Genome Regulation (CGR) and researcher of FONDAP Climate and Resilience Science Center (CR2), and of Antarctic Anillo “Long-Range Transport of Xenobiotics and Microorganisms”. She is member of the editorial board in International Microbiology journal. She advised 3 theses in the Chilean PhD programs and 2 as international co-supervisor. She advised 9 theses in several master programs (e.g. U. de Chile), and 2 Post-doctorate. Currently advises two Post-doctorate, 6 PhD students, 2 Master’s degree and undergraduate. She has an index H of 21 (and 7 since 2018) and 3272 citations.