Bianca Cruz
Researcher
Biography
Bianca joined Earthwatch in 2024. She graduated from the University of Essex with an MSc in Tropical Marine Biology in 2023, focusing her research on the contribution of microbial communities in salt marshes, blue carbon status. Additionally, she worked part-time as a nature educator and also designed and illustrated nature education materials while in India. She now works on the Horizon Europe research project ProBleu, promoting ocean and water literacy in school communities.
Research Interests
- Citizen science
- Blue Carbon
- Marine Biology
Projects
ProBleu (Horizon Europe) – Bianca is part of the team developing the ProBleu funding calls and teaching resources. The aim is to grow the Network of European Blue Schools and bring ocean and water literacy into the classroom across the EU and associated countries.
CircleUp (Horizon Europe) – Bianca is part of the team working closely with Oxfordshire County Council to empower households as actors in the circular economy.
more4nature (Horizon Europe) – Bianca supports activities in the 20 more4nature pioneer cases including two FreshWater Watch cases, one in Sierra Leone and one in Italy.
Iliad (Horizon 2020) – Bianca is a researcher for the Iliad project, exploring how citizen science can contribute to the development of digital twins of the ocean.