40 SEED TESTING INTERNATIONAL www.seedtest.org SEED SCIENCE • BIO: Ainara Fernández Sacristán Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Ireland Laboratory Analyst/ Deputy Quality Manager Ainara holds an MSc in Genetics from the University of Granada, Spain. Following her studies, she spent a few years working in bioinformatics and chemistry, applying mathematical models to support research and data analysis. In 2021, Ainara joined the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), where she began her career in seed testing. Initially, she was responsible for conducting a range of laboratory tests and analyses. After three years in the role, she was also appointed Deputy Quality Manager for the laboratory, with responsibility for overseeing the quality management system and ensuring compliance with relevant standards and procedures. 1. What does your typical workday look like? The laboratory’s workload is highly seasonal, requiring a flexible approach to both quality management and technical operations. I spend much of the year overseeing quality system activities, including audit coordination, non-conformance investigations, document control and continuous improvement initiatives. During peak periods, when several hundred seed samples may be received within a short timeframe, I conduct a range of seed analyses across multiple crop groups. 2. How do you know about ISTA and how does ISTA help you in your daily job? I became familiar with ISTA when I joined DAFM, where the Seed Testing Laboratory has been ISTA-accredited since 2001. To stay updated, I subscribed to the ISTA newsletter and follow ISTA on LinkedIn. In my daily work, I regularly use ISTA publications and guidance documents, and I find the opportunity to consult with ISTA Technical Committees (TCOM) on technical matters particularly valuable. 3. How do you keep in touch with ISTA’s work and its community? I have been a member of the Moisture Committee since 2023, which involves answering questions from other laboratories, reviewing the rules related to moisture and, of course, being part of different projects. I am also currently training to become an external systems auditor under the guidance of the Head of the Accreditation and Technical Department. 4. Have you participated in any ISTA events/ workshops/webinars? The first ISTA events I attended were the Workshop on Moisture Content and Tetrazolium Testing in Peri, Italy, followed by the ISTA Annual Meeting in Verona in 2023. Since then, I have also attended the Annual Meeting in Cambridge where I presented one of the projects that the Moisture Committee was working on, and the Advanced Workshop on Quality Assurance and ISTA Accreditation in Bucharest. Over the past five years, I have also participated in numerous ISTA webinars. 5. How have you benefited from these events/ workshops/webinars? They allowed me to learn directly from the experience of other professionals in the field, which has provided practical insights that I apply in my daily work. These events have also given a brilliant opportunity to build a professional network within the seed testing community. 6. Would you recommend students and young researchers to attend similar events/ workshops/webinars? Absolutely. As mentioned earlier, these events provide an excellent opportunity to learn from experienced professionals in seed testing. If people are not able to attend workshops or events, I strongly recommend the free webinars offered by ISTA; they are a valuable resource for ongoing learning. 7. Would you recommend your colleagues and other young researchers to connect with ISTA? Yes, it is an excellent opportunity to learn, connect with other professionals, and gain exposure to different approaches and ways of working. 8. Can you tell us what you are working on now and how it is related to the seed industry? In my laboratory, I am leading the transition from a paper-based to an electronic quality system, helping to ensure that our quality assurance remains robust, efficient and adaptable for the future. This work supports the maintenance of our accreditation and helps ensure continued access for the Irish seed sector to international trade. I am also training to become an ISTA systems auditor and hope to use this experience to support other laboratories around the world. 9. Are you a member of one of the ISTA Technical Committees? Why have you joined? I have been a member of the Moisture Committee since 2023. I saw this as an opportunity to share my experience with other laboratories and, at the same time, learn from the knowledge and expertise of Committee members from different regions. 10. How has being a member of the ISTA Technical Committee benefited you? Engaging with colleagues from different regions has broadened my perspective on the diverse practices, challenges and approaches used by laboratories worldwide, and has helped me identify new ideas and improvements that can be applied in my own work. 11. What would you advise ISTA to change or improve? I believe the creation of small, project-focused working groups that are not limited to TCOM members, but also include members from outside the TCOMs with relevant expertise, could help accelerate ongoing initiatives. Allowing interested people to contribute to projects that align with their skills would expand the available Young@ISTA ISTA introduces you to a new generation of seed scientists, who are enthusiastic, eager to learn and talented
View this content as a flipbook by clicking here.