Violeta Berdejo Espinola

Violeta is a Multilingual Evidence Synthesis Postdoctoral Research Fellow. Her current research addresses the underutilisation of non-English biodiversity conservation evidence in policy and decision-making processes.

While evidence synthesis is a cornerstone of evidence-based conservation at both local and global scales, gaps remain in incorporating the diverse knowledge available in non-English scientific literature. To bridge this gap, she integrates multilingual international collaboration and artificial intelligence (AI), including machine learning and natural language processing techniques (e.g., text classification, thematic analysis). This integrated approach allows for the systematic aggregation of multilingual scientific evidence and the development of tools to automate the retrieval of non-English literature on biodiversity conservation. By leveraging human co-production and AI, she aims to create a multilingual synthesis tool that not only accelerates evidence synthesis but also ensures the inclusion of the diverse and valuable knowledge found in non-English evidence.

This work is part of the broader "Transcending Language Barriers to Environmental Sciences" project (https://translatesciences.com/). Please reach out if you are interested in collaborating v.berdejoespinola@uq.net.au

Violeta has a wide range of interests and also explores human-nature interactions in the urban Global South. Her interdisciplinary research intersects modelling nature’s contributions to people living in formal and informal settlements, biodiversity, climate change, perceptions of safety and poverty.