Dr. Ernestina Castro-Longoria is a full-time researcher at the Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education at Ensenada, Mexico. She obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Southampton, UK. Her current research focuses on elucidating fundamental aspects of polarized growth in fungi, in particular describing the components involved in the establishment and maintenance of cell polarity. In addition, she explores the use of filamentous fungi for the development of ecological methods for the production of metallic nanoparticles. Likewise, she investigates the potential use of these nanoparticles for plant and human pathogen inhibition.