Erika Marín-Spiotta

Marín-Spiotta grew up in Spain.[1] She became interested in her area of study and spending time outside with her family, visiting archeological sites. In 1997, she graduated from Stanford University with a B.S. in Biology with a Minor in Political Science.[2] Nine years later, Marín-Spiotta completed her Ph.D. of Ecosystem Science from University of California, Berkeley.[2] Her thesis, “Controls on above and belowground carbon storage during tropical reforestation,” contributed to her field as it discussed how changes in land use affect carbon sequestration in soil and how the establishment of secondary forests can contribute to biodiversity conservation.[2][3] During her time at UC-Berkeley, she was a Graduate Research Environmental Fellow for the Department of Energy.[2][4]

After working as a NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Geography at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Marín-Spiotta joined the faculty at UW-Madison in 2009 as an Assistant Professor in Geography.[2][5] In the following years, she also became an affiliate of the Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies Program and Center for Culture, History, and the Environment, the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, and the Departments of Soil Science and Forest and Wildlife Ecology.[6][7][8][9] Marín-Spiotta was promoted to Associate Professor in 2015 and to Professor in 2019 in the Department of Geography.[10] In 2019, Marin-Spiotta was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists & Engineers (PECASE).[11][12]

• Marín-Spiotta, E. 2018. Harassment should count as scientific misconduct. Nature 557: 141.
• Berhe, A.A., R. Barnes, J. Six and E. Marín-Spiotta. 2018. Role of erosional mass movement on the biogeochemical cycling of essential elements: carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences 46: 521-548.
• Powers, J.S. and E. Marín-Spiotta. 2017. Ecosystem processes and biogeochemical cycles during secondary tropical forest succession. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 48:497-519.
• Marín-Spiotta, E., N.T. Chaopricha, A. F. Plante, A.F. Diefendorf, C.W. Müller, S. Grandy and J.A. Mason. (2014). "Long-term stabilization of deep soil carbon by fire and burial during early Holocene climate change." Nature Geoscience Vol. 7.[18]
• Marín-Spiotta, E., K.E. Gruley, J. Crawford, E.A. Atkinson, J.R. Miesel, S. Greene, C. Cardona-Correa and R.G.M. Spencer. (2014). "Paradigm shifts in soil organic matter research affect aquatic carbon turnover interpretations: Transcending disciplinary and ecosystem boundaries." Biogeochemistry Vol. 117.[19]
• Marín-Spiotta, E. and S. Sharma. (2013). "Carbon storage in successional and plantation forest soils: a tropical analysis." Global Ecology and Biogeography Vol. 22.[20]
• Marín-Spiotta, E., W.L. Silver, C.W. Swanston, and R. Ostertag. (2009). "Soil organic matter dynamics during 80 years of reforestation of tropical pastures." Global Change Biology Vol. 15.[21]
• Marín-Spiotta, E., C.W. Swanston, M.S. Torn, W.L. Silver, and S.D. Burton. (2008). "Chemical and mineral control of soil carbon turnover in abandoned tropical pastures." Geoderma, Vol. 143.[22]
• Marín-Spiotta, E., R. Ostertag, and W.L. Silver. (2007). "Long-term patterns in tropical reforestation: plant community composition and aboveground biomass accumulation." Ecological Applications Vol. 17.[15]

Marín-Spiotta has received many awards for her contributions in the sciences, mentorship, and inclusion. She was also the Secretary of the Biogeosciences section at the American Geophysical Union in 2015 and 2016 and has held various other leadership and volunteer positions for the AGU.[23][24][25]

Marín-Spiotta is an advocate for underrepresented groups in the sciences and is committed to increasing awareness about sexual harassment in the field.[14] She is a board member of the Earth Science Women’s Network which works to mentor and support women in the geosciences.[26][27] Multiple of the awards Marín-Spiotta has received are in part due to her efforts to combat underrepresentation, sexism, and sexual harassment in science. The National Science Foundation ADVANCE Program awarded her and a team a $1.1 million grant to investigate these issues and establish ways to further the advancement of women in STEM, specifically focusing on how bystander intervention can lead to positive results.[28]

• Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, 2019
• National Science Foundation’s CAREER Award, 2014[29]
• Sulzman Award for Excellence in Education and Mentoring from the American Geophysical Union, 2016[14]
• President’s Award from the Association for Women Geoscientists, 2016.[2]
• Vilas Associate Award from UW-Madison.[30][31]
• Ambassador Award (2020)