Catarina Marques, who is a Researcher of UA at CESAM and the Department of Biology, since 2012, the Researcher has been directly involved in the standardization of procedures to assess Soil Quality, within the Technical Committee TC190 of ISO (International Organization for Standardization). In this ISO/TC190 she assumes the role of Expert in representation of IPQ (Portuguese Institute for Quality), as well as Coordinator of IPQ Experts (since 2018). The Researcher has been representing Portugal in several Working Groups and Sub-Committees (e.g., SC4, SC7) of ISO/TC 190, having even organized two meetings of the Technical Committee TC190 at the University of Aveiro (in 2017 and 2019), which brought together dozens of International Experts to discuss the standardization of multiple ongoing projects.
As a result of her contribution to the standardization of several methodologies and, in particular, methods for analyzing changes in the biological responses of soil microorganisms (e.g., ISO 18187:2024 standard), the Researcher was recently elected, in an international ballot, as Convenor of Working Group 4 of ISO/TC 190/SC 4, which is dedicated to the standardization of methods that allow the evaluation of Effects on Soil Microorganisms. Catarina Marques’ standardization work has thus contributed significantly to the publication of several standards (some of which she was the project leader for standardization), which are used in the assessment of soil quality by different national and international entities and institutions (governmental, non-governmental, enterprises, academic, research centers). These methods, harmonized on an international scale, constitute fundamental tools for implementing current global policies and strategies for the protection, recovery and sustainable use of Soils. The scientific information and data generated through the application of the standards thus leverage and support more conscious and informed management of Soils’ health and quality at a global level.