Ximena Cibils-Stewart grew up in Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay (South America). She earned a double B.Sc degree in Biology and Entomology from Iowa State University (ISU) in 2010, and a M.Sc in Entomology from Kansas State University in 2013. Her MSc thesis was entitled: Influence of plant architecture on trophic interactions involving canola, aphids and lady beetles. After obtaining her MSc, she moved back to Uruguay were she started working as an entomology-scientist at INIA; Uruguay´s National Institute for Agricultural Research. At INIA Ximena’s work has been majorly linked to the breeding programs of forage crops (legumes and grasses).
Currently, Ximena is a PhD student at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment (HIE) at Western Sydney University. Her PhD focuses on elucidating the interactive effects between mutualistic fungi (novel endophytes and mycorrhiza) and silicon uptake in grasses, since these associations might enhance plant defence against certain stressors, such as herbivores. Her PhD thesis is entitled:Down to earth defence: How mutualistic fungi augment silicon-based defence against above- and belowground insect pests. These strategies have clear potential for plant protection with fewer environmental impacts than the insecticides they replace.
