Dr. Sofía Pontigo Seguel is Biotechnologist and Doctor in Sciences of Natural Resources from the Universidad de La Frontera (UFRO), Temuco, Chile. She is currently a researcher at the Scientific and Technological Bioresource Nucleus (BIOREN-UFRO) and is actively involved in undergraduate and graduate teaching at UFRO. She also serves as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition. Her research focuses on plant physiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology, with particular emphasis on mineral nutrition and the mechanisms underlying plant responses to abiotic stress. A central theme of her work is the role of silicon (Si) in plant nutrition, including its uptake and transport, its interaction with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and its effects on carbon metabolism, phosphorus use efficiency, and plant tolerance to water deficit, nutrient limitations, and acidic conditions. She has led and collaborated on several FONDECYT research projects aimed at developing sustainable strategies to improve crop resilience and resource-use efficiency under climate change. Her research encompasses forage species and major cereal crops and integrates physiological, biochemical, and molecular approaches to better understand plant-soil-microorganism interactions.