Cristian Gallardo-Escárate

Dr. Gallardo-Escárate is a Marine Biologist from the Catholic University of the North and holds a Ph.D. in Aquaculture from CICESE, Baja California, Mexico (2005). In 2006, he joined the University of Concepción, where he leads the Aquaculture Biotechnology and Genomics Laboratory, focusing on genomic research of marine organisms. Since 2012, Dr. Gallardo-Escárate has served as Deputy Director of the INCAR Center of Excellence, funded by ANID (formerly CONICYT) through the FONDAP Priority Areas Program. He has authored over 170 scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals and delivered more than 250 presentations at international scientific conferences. Dr. Gallardo-Escárate has also served — and continues to serve — on evaluation committees for European projects in the field of marine biotechnology.

Margarita González

Marine biologist, PhD in Aquaculture Sciences, specializing in the parasitosis induced by Caligus. She has over 20 years of experience in research projects related to pelagic fish reproduction, fish health and welfare, antiparasitic sensitivity, and the biology and behavior of the parasite Caligus rogercresseyi, among others. She has extensive knowledge of laboratory techniques, such as histology, in vitro sensitivity assessment, zooplankton components and parasite identification, necropsies, and welfare scoring. She is also a Commissioner of the Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture. Her research interests include caligidosis, salmonid animal welfare, antiparasitic sensitivity assessment, and fish parasitology. She currently works as an academic in parasitology at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the San Sebastián University, De La Patagonia campus.

Jorge Mancilla

Fish Health and Nutrition Manager in Mowi Chile, he is a Vet. Med., with 25 years of experience in Mowi Chile, he holds a PhD in Aquaculture Sciences from the Universidad Austral de Chile, his doctoral thesis was developed in “Modelling Population dynamic of Caligus rogercresseyi in Atlantic salmon”. With several publication in Caligus, where he has been able to combine his field experience with scientific background to contribute new approaches to the management, prevention and control of caligus. Due to his vast experience, he has been recognized by the salmon Industry at national and global level in fish health topics, being part of different technical and scientific committees, as well public and private working groups, being invited by WHOA and FAO with the aim to develop Public - Private Partnership.

Sandra Marín

Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and Master of Science in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences from Texas A&M University, USA. Her research interests include aquatic ecology, biological systems modeling, host–pathogen interactions, and the environmental impacts of aquaculture.

Jaiber Solano-Iguarán

Biologist, PhD in Sciences with a mention in Ecology and Evolution. His line of research focuses on the use of molecular tools to study diseases in hydrobiological organisms. In this way, Jaiber was directing the FIPA project, which was being developed between January 2020 and July 2022, and had the support of Subpesca and Sernapesca.

Sandra Bravo

Fisheries Engineer, graduated from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Master in Aquaculture and Environmental Management obtained from the University of Genova and Philosophiae Doctorem (PhD) obtained from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science. Her works have been centers on fish pathology and salmon production management, with emphasis on the research of the sea lice since the beginning of the salmon industry in Chile.

Diego Valenzuela

Leading researcher at the INCAR Center, specializing in genomics and bioinformatics applied to aquaculture. His research focuses on the interactions between the environment, aquatic organisms, and their pathogens, with a particular emphasis on salmon and aquaculture-relevant invertebrates. His work explores the molecular responses of aquatic organisms to pathogens and environmental fluctuations, as well as the role of the microbiota in modulating these responses. Dr. Valenzuela has also collaborated on genome sequencing projects involving key aquaculture species and has led several research initiatives funded by FONDECYT, FONDEF, and other national funding agencies.

Valentina Valenzuela

Valentina Valenzuela Muñoz is a Civil Engineer in Biotechnology from Universidad San Sebastián. She holds a Master’s degree in Biochemistry and Bioinformatics from Universidad de Concepción, and a Ph.D. in Sciences with a specialization in Renewable Aquatic Resource Management. From 2022 to March 2025, she led the Fondecyt Initiation Project “Functional genomics in Atlantic salmon during repeated sea lice infestation: the emerging role of acquired resistance in salmon breeding” (FONDECYT #11220307). She is currently supervising Dr. Yeny Leal’s postdoctoral project, “Unraveling the immune cell landscape in Atlantic salmon infected with Piscirickettsia salmonis genogroups by single-nuclei RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq)” (FONDECYT #3250120). Dra. Valenzuela Muñoz also serves as an Associate Researcher in the INCAR Center, participating in Research Program 1 (RP1).

Rolando Ibarra

Veterinarian and aquaculture executive with 25 years of experience driving sustainable policy through multi-stakeholder collaboration. Currently holding leadership roles as a Senior Fellow at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Director of Wavet SPA, and Executive Director of the Pincoy Project. Specializes in uniting industry, government, and NGOs to implement global best practices for responsible aquaculture.

Alexander Jaramillo

Veterinarian with a Master’s degree in Veterinary Science Research and a PhD in Aquaculture from the University of Plymouth (UK).

He has research experience in salmonid health and nutrition in the United Kingdom and Norway. In , Chile, He leads the Health and Food Safety division at the Salmon Technology Institute (INTESAL), coordinating initiatives that strengthen fish health management, particularly in areas such as sea lice and piscirickettsiosis (SRS). His work supports improved disease control, reduced antimicrobial use, enhanced animal welfare, and greater alignment with regulatory and food safety standards across the Chilean salmon value chain.