Wilma Maribel Llerena Silva is a Teaching-Researcher at the Technical State University of Quevedo (UTEQ), Ecuador, directing research projects since 2019. She holds a doctoral candidacy in Food Science and a Master's degree in Technology and Quality in Agro-Food Industries (Public University of Navarre). Her research trajectory spans over a decade in agricultural and food sciences, specializing in phytochemical and nutritional characterization of Andean and tropical crops. She has directed multidisciplinary projects focused on postharvest process optimization, functional foods, valorization of agroindustrial byproducts, and innovative preservation technologies. Her investigations encompass fine aroma cacao, vacuum cooking, modified atmosphere packaging, and development of active biodegradable films. She is the author of publications in high-impact journals, supervisor of 5 master's theses and 21 undergraduate theses, and honorary lecturer in postgraduate programs in agricultural biotechnology and food science at Ecuadorian universities.