In 2024, two new researchers joined the Interdisciplinary Center for Aquaculture Research: Dr. Pamela Thomson Morales in the research line “RP2 – Animal Health in Early Life Stages of Salmonids and Native Resources” and Dr. Jessica Fuentes Olmos in the “Integrative program”.
Dr. Pamela Thomson Morales
Dr. Pamela Thomson Morales is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, MSc in Microbiology and Mycology from Universidad de Chile, and PhD in Biomedicine from Universitat Rovira i Virgili. In 2020, she joined at Universidad Andrés Bello as a professor for undergraduate and postgraduate courses and as faculty member in the PhD in Conservation Medicine.
Dr. Thomson is a member of the Chilean Society of Microbiology, a member of the International Society of Microbiota, and a member of Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute: CLSI Guidelines (CLSI). She is an editor in Frontiers Veterinary Science, in the Animal Nutrition and Metabolism section, and an editor in Frontiers in Microbiology, in the Microorganisms in Vertebrate Digestive Systems section, among others. Her research interests focus on Microbiology, animal Microbiome, and antibiotic resistance. In the RP2 line, Dr, Thomson aims to strengthen the study of the microbiota and evaluate the impact of the use of antimicrobials and other compounds on the microbiota of marine cultured fish, as well as on the water microbiota of fish farms. Regarding this matter, Dr. Thomson emphasizes “the importance of this knowledge in improving stress resistance and combating diseases like flavobacteriosis and tenacibaculosis, as understanding both diseases is a key priority for the sustainable growth of salmon farming and improving animal welfare”
Dra. Jessica Fuentes Olmos
Dr. Jessica Fuentes Olmos is a Lawyer and Bachelor of Legal Sciences from the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso (PUCV). She is a MSc in Public Law and PhD in Law from the same university.
Dr.Fuentes Olmos is a former researcher from the the Center for Legislative Studies and Assistance (CEAL-PUCV) and has been a professor of Constitutional Law since 2006 at the law school of the same institution, where she teaches undergraduate and postgraduate classes. She has published two books and has contributed to various specialized law journals.
In her professional career, she has served as the Head of the Legal Division of the Subpesca, as a lawyer for the former MIDEPLAN and the Ministry General Secretariat of the Presidency, as the Deputy Legal Director of Sernapesca, and as an advisor on aquaculture matters for Subpesca and Sernapesca in different periods. With her extensive experience, she has been involved in the processing of various fisheries and aquaculture bills and in the drafting of implementation regulations for various laws. She has provided advice to authorities and participated in various participatory instances with the private sector at the national level and in international forums. Her research area of interest is Environmental and Sanitary Regulation of Aquaculture. Her focus of research in the Integrative Program will be the sustainability of aquaculture based on the ecosystem approach. From this perspective, Dr. Jessica Fuentes hopes to “contribute from the legal sciences and experience in the public sector to incorporate the regulatory perspective into the proposals designed by INCAR and to be considered by decision-makers in the development of public policies,” she stated.
