Expertise

Mariana Rufino's expertise spans a wide range of agricultural and environmental sciences, with a focus on livestock systems and their impacts. Her academic journey began with Agronomy studies at the National University of Tucuman in Argentina, followed by a PhD in Production Ecology and Resource Conservation from Wageningen University. After completing her postdoctoral research, Rufino's career took her to Kenya, where she worked at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). There, she investigated the complex relationships between livestock management and environmental factors, including carbon and nutrient cycles, water systems, and greenhouse gas emissions.  Her research scope expanded further during her time at the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), where she delved deeper into the intricate interactions between livestock production and landscape dynamics. In 2016, Rufino was appointed as a full professor at Lancaster University in the UK, before joining the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in 2023. Her work has significantly contributed to global assessments of livestock systems, evolving to encompass novel effects of land use associated with food production. Rufino's recent research explores the impacts of different livestock species on plant diversity, carbon removal, water cycles, and ecosystem functioning, with a particular focus on tropical and sub-tropical grasslands. Her expertise also extends to using digital tools and extensive data from environmental sensors to gain insights into future trends in livestock production.

Career

• From 2023, Livestock systems chair (full professor), Technical University of Munich, Germany.
• 2016-2023, Agricultural Systems chair (full professor), Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, UK.
• 2013-2016, Team leader & Senior Scientist, Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Kenya.
• 2014-2015, Guest researcher, Lab of GIS & Remote Sensing, Wageningen University.
• 2010-2013, Livestock systems scientist, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Kenya.
• 2010, Guest researcher, Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL), The Netherlands.
• 2008-2010, Postdoctoral researcher, Plant Production Systems, Wageningen University.
• 2004-2008, Researcher, Plant Production Systems and Plant Research International, Wageningen University.

Selected Publications

1. Houspanossian, J, R Gimenez, J Whitworth-Hulse, MD Nosetto, W Tych, PM Atkinson, MC Rufino, EG Jobbágy. Agricultural expansion raises groundwater and increases flooding in the South American plains. Science, 380, 1344-1348.
2. Hawkins, J, A Komarek, EM Kihoro, CF Nicholson, A Omore, GU Yesuf, PJ Ericksen, GC Schoneveld, MC Rufino 2022 High yield dairy cattle breeds improve farmer incomes, curtail greenhouse gas emissions and reduce dairy import dependency in Tanzania. Nature Food 3, 957-967.
3. Yesuf, GU, GC Schoneveld, M Zijlstra, J Hawkins, E Kihoro, V Vernooij, MC Rufino 2021 Embedding stakeholders’ priorities into the low emission development of the East African dairy sector. Env Res Letters 16, 064032.
4. Brandt, P, G Yesuf, M Herold, MC Rufino 2020 Intensification of dairy production can increase the GHG mitigation potential of the land use sector in East Africa. Global Change Biol 26, 568-585.
5. Wanyama, I, DE Pelster, K Butterbach-Bahl, C Martius, L Verchot, MC Rufino 2019 Soil carbon dioxide and methane fluxes from forests and other land use types in an African tropical montane region. Biogeochemistry 143, 171-190
6. Carter, S, M Herold, V Avitabile, S de Bruin, V De Sy, L Kooistra, MC Rufino 2018 Agriculture-driven deforestation in the tropics from 1990 to 2015: emissions, trends, and uncertainties. Environ Res Lett 13, 014002.
7. Rufino, MC, P Brandt, M Herrero, K Butterbach-Bahl 2014 Reducing uncertainty in nitrogen budgets for African livestock systems. Environ Res Lett 9 (10), 105008.