Genetic diversity in plant traits related to abiotic stress responses and tolerance. Linking gene expression with physiology in order to unveil the mechanism. Research on morpho-physiological and molecular responses to environmental stresses.

1) Thesis title: Effetti della qualità della luce sull’espressione di geni coinvolti nell’assorbimento di nutrienti e sulla componente nutraceutica di Lactuca sativa L. Candidate to Bachelor degree: Laura Carotti. Dept. BiGeA, University of Bologna, Italy. 2018.
2) Thesis title: "Crescita e contenuto di poliammine in due genotipi di quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) sottoposti a stress salino". (Growth and polyamines content in two genotypes of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) under salt stress). Candidate to Bachelor degree: Miguel Angel Gambelli. Dept. BiGeA, University of Bologna, Italy. 2016
3) Thesis title: "How the seeds of different quinoa cultivars treated with NaCl throughout the development respond to salinity?: seed viability and potential". “¿Cómo las semillas de los distintos cultivares tratados con NaCl durante todo el desarrollo responden a la salinidad?: Viabilidad y variables respuestas asociadas al vigor/potencial de la semilla”. Student: Valentina Canelo. Fac. of Agronomy Sciences, University of Chile. 2015.
4) Thesis title: "Content of daidzein and genistein in seeds of quinoa ecotypes (Chenopodium quinoa Wild)". (“Contenido de daidzeína y genisteína en semillas de ecotipos de quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Wild)”). Student: Angélica Martínez Carvajal. Universidad de Valparaíso. Chile. 2008
5) Thesis title: “First evaluation of agronomic and physiological responses of Amaranthus cruentus in the Coquimbo Region, Chile”. (“Primera evaluación de respuestas agronómicas y fisiológicas de Amaranthus cruentus en la Región de Coquimbo, Chile”). Student: Susana Lizardi Cesín. Universidad de La Serena. Chile. 2009.

CONGRESSES AND MEETINGS (last 5 years)
1. 1. VII Congreso Mundial de la Quinua. Iquique, Chile. 25-28 March, 2019. Metal uptake, ion content, and gene expression patterns in quinoa exposed to Cr(III) in the presence or absence of salt. Cicatelli A, Ruiz KB, Guarino F, Castiglione S, Biondi S. Oral presentation.
2. European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2017. Vienna, Austria 23-28 April, 2017. Can quinoa, a salt-tolerant Andean crop species, be used for phytoremediation of chromium-polluted soil? Ruiz KB, Cicatelli A, Guarino F, Jacobsen S-E, Biondi S, Castiglione S. Geophysical Research Abstracts Vol. 19, EGU2017-1069, 2017. Poster ID. X1.262
3. 111th Congress of the Italian Botanical Society (3rd IPSC), University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy, 21 - 23 September 2016. Transcriptional changes in quinoa seedlings exposed to high salinity: focus on growth, ion homeostasis, ABA, Polyamine, and stress-related genes. Ruiz KB, Rapparini F, Bertazza G, Silva H, Torrigiani P, Biondi S.
4. V Meeting EUCARPIA International Symposium on Protein Crops. Plant Protein for the future. Pontevedra, Spain. 4-7 May 2015. Screening of salt tolerance in Chilean landraces of Quinoa: agronomical, physiological and nutritional parameters. Ruiz KB, Aloisi I, Silva H, Torrigiani P, Del Duca S, Biondi S. Poster ID_57 pp 160.
5. Agriculture and Climate Change 2015. Adapting Crops to Increased Uncertainty. Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 15-17 February, 2015. Quinoa - a model crop for understanding salt tolerance mechanisms in halophytes (Poster ID_AGRI2015_0596). Biondi S, Ruiz KB, Martínez EA, Antognoni F, Orsini F, Gianquinto G, Bazile D, Jacobsen S-E. Sunday 15th February 2015: Poster Session I Abiotic Stress - 18:20-19:20.
6. 65° Congresso de la Sociedad Agronómica de Chile, Santiago de Chile, Chile. 27-29 October, 2014. “Cultivares chilenos de quinua: Aspectos que contribuyen a una excepcional tolerancia a condiciones de alta salinidad” (Oral). Ruiz KB, Silva H. pp
7. 65° Congresso de la Sociedad Agronómica de Chile, Santiago de Chile, Chile. 27-29 October, 2014. “Respuestas al estrés salino en cultivares chilenos de quinua: caracterización “In Vitro” (Poster). Ruiz KB, Canelo V, Gutiérrez N, Mena G, Silva H.
8. XII PABMB Congress. Puerto Varas, Chile. November 9-14, 2013. Root architecture and gene expression in response to salt stress in Chilean quinoa genotypes. Ruiz K, Silva H. Poster#124
9. IV Congreso Internacional de la Quinoa y I Simposio de Granos Andinos. Ibarra, Ecuador. July 8-12, 2013. Respuestas al estrés salino en genotipos de quinoa originarios de Chile: desde su arquitectura hasta sus genes. Ruiz K, Silva H.
10. Gruppo di Lavoro di Biologia Cellulare e Molecolare. SOCIETA’ BOTANICA ITALIANA. June 18-20, 2012. Abano Terme-Padova, Italia. “Spermidine application to young developing peach fruits leads to a slowing down of ripening by impairing ripening-related ethylene and auxin metabolism and signaling”. Ruiz Carrasco K, Bressanin D, Tadiello A, Trainotti A, Bonghi C, Ziosi V, Costa G, Torrigiani P.
11. Plant and Animal Genome XX Conference. PAG XX. January 14-18, 2012. San Diego, California. Simultaneous Mapping and Candidate Gene Identification in Peach via Sequencing of Pooled Genomes (Pnomes). Dardick C, Callahan A, Ruiz-Carrasco K, Horn R, Zhebentyayeva T, Abbott AG, Scorza R. 2012. Poster ID.TP0491T

RESEARCH COLLABORATIONS
• Collaborator in: “Dynamic aspects of biodiversity management of Quinoa”. Financed by FP7-PEOPLE-IRSES-2008 - Marie Curie Action "International Research Staff Exchange Scheme". P.I. Bazile Didier. Tasks: dissecting salinity tolerance in quinoa by morphological, physiological and molecular analysis.
• Collaborator in:”Tolerance strategies of Quinoa plants under salt stress”. Financed by TWAS-ICGEB (project id: CRP.PB/CHI06-01). P.I. Andrés Zurita. Tasks: expression analysis of genes involved in salt stress tolerance and polyamine determination.
• Collaborator in:”Increases of blueberries hybrid varieties productivity under arid environments by selection of local soil substrates”. Financed by FIA-Chile (project id: fia-pi-c-2005-1-a-078). P.I. Angélica Salvatierra. Task: Highbush Blueberry var. O’Neal grown in soil containing high levels of manganese.

CITATION METRICS
• ORCID ID: 0000-0001-5425-3423
• ResearcherID: H-8165-2013
• Research Gate Score: 23.87 (updated 29/11/2019)
• Researcher ID H-index: 11 (excluding self-citation; updated 29/11/2019)

WRITTEN AND SPOKEN LANGUAGES
English: good in reading, writing and speaking (Level B1++; Certificated by Centro Interfacoltà di Linguistica Teorica e Applicata, CILTA, University of Bologna, Italy).
Italian: fluent in writing, reading and speaking.
Spanish: mother tongue
French: scholastic level