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Curriculum vitae

Modified

November 5, 2026

This page presents a selection of my experience, education, and scientific contributions.

Download full CV in English · PDF

Content last updated: November 2026.

Professional and research experience

Research Associate (Postdoctoral)

Marine Microbial Macroecology Lab · Dalhousie University, Canada
June 2025–present

Contribution to Phyto-MAP, a global atlas of phytoplankton observations, within the Simons Collaboration on Computational Biogeochemical Modeling of Marine Ecosystems (CBIOMES).

  • Collection, curation, and integration of phytoplankton data
  • Development of R tools and reproducible workflows
  • Database design and management for research

Research technical staff

Harmful Microalgae and Plankton Ecology group (VGOHAB) · Vigo Oceanographic Centre, IEO-CSIC
April 2021–April 2025

Research assistance across the group’s projects:

  • Design and administration of VGOHAdB, a PostgreSQL database integrating plankton observations and environmental variables from the RADIALES-Vigo time series dating back to 1984
  • Development of data management and analysis protocols using R, Shiny applications, and version-controlled workflows
  • Statistical analysis, time-series analysis, and graphical and cartographic visualisation of oceanographic data

Research technical staff

Department of Functional Biology · University of Oviedo
March–September 2017 · October 2017–January 2018

Participation in projects on marine natural resources and biological invasions.

  • Identification of organisms associated with marine litter using genetic techniques and direct observation
  • Beach litter sampling

Software and data

Phyto-MAP · Dataset

Phyto-MAP, a curated database of marine phytoplankton abundance records

Fernando Rayón-Viña, Zoe V. Finkel, and Andrew J. Irwin · 2026

Relational database of marine phytoplankton abundance records, integrating observations from published literature, archives, and institutions into a common data model. Includes standardised abundances and sampling, geographic, and taxonomic metadata. Available in SQLite and CSV formats.

DOI

Phyto-MAP · Data-processing scripts

Phyto-MAP data-processing scripts

Fernando Rayón Viña · 2026

Collection of scripts for source-specific data processing, taxonomic curation, and construction of the Phyto-MAP relational database, accompanied by workflow documentation. Documents the retained programmatic components rather than a complete pipeline for regenerating the database.

Code · DOI

phytaxr · R package

phytaxr: Phytoplankton Taxonomic Curation Tools

Fernando Rayón Viña · 2026

Tools for cleaning, standardising, and resolving phytoplankton taxon names, with functionality for automated resolution and interactive review of approximate matches.

Code · DOI

Education

PhD · University of Oviedo

2016–2019 · Cum laude and International Doctorate distinction

Doctoral Programme in Chemical, Environmental and Biofood Engineering.

Thesis: “Analysis and evaluation of the origin, sociocultural components, and biological risks of marine litter on the Asturian coast”.

Master’s Degree in Marine Conservation

University of Oviedo · 2015–2016

Bachelor’s Degree in Biology

University of Oviedo · 2009–2015

International doctoral research stay

Marine Research Institute · Klaipėda University, Lithuania
March–June 2018

Research on coastal litter and associated organisms, with a comparative perspective across the Baltic and Atlantic regions.

Skills

  • Analysis and programming: R, tidyverse, Python, and SQL.
  • Databases: PostgreSQL and SQLite; scientific data design, integration, and management.
  • Methods: time-series analysis, wavelets, data visualisation, and mapping with QGIS.
  • Reproducibility tools: Git, GitHub, GitLab, Quarto/R Markdown, and Shiny.
  • Computing environments: Linux and Bash.

Languages

  • Spanish: native.
  • English: C1; TOEFL iBT 110/120, May 2026.
  • Portuguese: B1.

Teaching and science outreach

  • Teaching at the IMBRSea Joint Summer School, Tjärnö, Sweden (2019): supervision and mentoring of student research projects.
  • Contribution to the design and evaluation of the educational board game Sustainable Sea / Mar Sostenible.
  • Science outreach through IEO-CSIC activities and collaborations with organisations such as ONCE and DOWN Vigo.

Outreach

My scientific output includes journal articles, book chapters, and technical reports on plankton ecology, marine litter, and conservation.

View outreach

Selected additional training

  • Beyond Beginner R: Advancing Your Coding Skills. Physalia Courses · 24 h · 2026.
  • Handling Missing Data in R. Physalia Courses · 15 h · 2026.
  • Introduction to Python for Scientists. CSIC · 30 h · 2023.
  • Version Control with Git and GitHub. CSIC · 25 h · 2023.
  • PostgreSQL for Everybody. University of Michigan / Coursera · 60 h · 2022.
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