Hi there,

Photography: Julia Galaktionova (@juphola). 

I am Francisca Prieto Fernández (Panchita Prieto), a Chilean-Catalan environmental microbiologist, currently finishing my PhD at the University of Oulu, Finland. I love sharing knowledge with society through scientific communication.

I believe in integrating interdisciplinarity and intersectionality into research

In parallel with contributions on peer-reviewed scientific articles, I am the author of an illustrated book about a scientific expedition of my PhD Under Extreme Conditions (self-published in 2023 with the support of the research program Biodiverse Anthropocenes). My research work has been presented in different conferences in Finland and abroad. I have also participated in events outside of the university like the presentation of my book. I enjoy creating bridges between the scientific community and the general public and I have helped other researchers to work on their communication skills, like with the workshop From Underground Culture to Academy. I have worked as freelance illustrator and writer for different clients, such as the Oulu Student Magazine, and my visual abstracts have enhanced research plans of European grants applications like the one received by Dr. Katharina Kujala. I am a member of the Catalan Association of Scientific Communication and most of my work is shared through Instagram and Linkedin.

What do others say?

  • Dr. Katharina Kujala

    Senior Researcher, Natural Resources Institute Finland


    As her PhD supervisor, I have worked with Francisca for many years and watched her development as a professional artist with growing admiration. She has this amazing skill to take whatever complex idea I present to her and turn it into a concise and easy-to-understand conceptual drawing.

Item 1 of 3