Professional Member Spotlight: Maria Victoria Marinelli

Written by: Madeleine Dawson, Content and Design Staff for IEEE GRSS

Maria Victoria Marinelli is an R&D professional at the National Commission for Space Activities (CONAE) in Argentina. Her academic background includes a Ph.D. in Geomatics and Space Science, a Master’s degree in Spatial Information Applications, and a Bachelor’s degree in Agronomy. She currently serves as the chapter head of GRSS Argentina Chapter and has been an IEEE GRSS member since 2018.

Introduce yourself and give us a short background of who you are and what you do?

I began my career as an agronomist and engineer. Currently, I am a research and development professional working as the head of the remote sensing unit at the Mario Gulich Institute for Advanced Space Studies. My research focuses on agricultural production, food security, landscape ecology, and ecosystem services, integrating remote sensing, geospatial analysis, and environmental science.

How long have you been a member? Tell us about your GRSS journey.

I have been a GRSS member for several years, starting my journey in 2018 during my Master’s at CONAE (the Argentinean space agency). I then assisted as the Vice Chair of the Argentina chapter. Since 2024, I serve as the chapter head of the Argentina chapter, and this year I also became the Latino American liaison for Region 9. My initial interest was in applying remote sensing to address real-world environmental and agricultural challenges. I get motivated from GRSS for my research, and it truly energizes me.

What inspired you to join GRSS?

I was particularly drawn to the community thanks to the constant encouragement of Professor Marcelo Scavuzzo, who always promotes GRSS and was my PhD thesis director.

Additionally, I had a lot of professors from GRSS that were in my Master’s community. That was the first opportunity for me to get to know GRSS. The interdisciplinary approach and the global network that GRSS offers is what really pulled me to join. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to collaborate with researchers worldwide, access cutting-edge knowledge, and contribute to knowledge exchange in my field. GRSS also provided me with the opportunity to attend high-quality local conferences and publish my first Scopus-indexed paper.

How has GRSS contributed to your professional growth?

It was amazing in fact! When I see how many people that work in GRSS, even just in Argentina, it is so inspiring. GRSS has played a key role in my professional growth, offering opportunities for networking, leadership development, and international collaborations. Through GRSS, I have engaged in activities that have strengthened both my technical skills and my ability to build scientific communities.

What advice would you give to individuals considering joining the GRSS community?

For those considering joining the GRSS community, I encourage you to explore the many opportunities it offers. There are a lot of benefits. Take advantage of mentorship and networking opportunities that can support your professional growth. Once you are a part of the community, get involved in local or international technical committees and working groups to deepen your engagement. Participating in conferences and workshops is also a great way to gain professional exposure and valuable learning experiences. You’ll find that GRSS is a diverse and inclusive community that fosters collaboration across disciplines and career stages. By contributing to community-driven initiatives, you can help enhance teamwork and make a collective impact.

What has your experience been like leading a GRSS chapter? Any challenges and how have you addressed them?

Leading the GRSS Argentina Chapter has been a rewarding experience, full of challenges and opportunities. One of the main challenges has been maintaining sustained engagement and participation, considering the diverse interests and backgrounds of our members, as well as the financial and career-related constraints researchers face in the region. To address this, we have organized targeted activities, including technical workshops and networking events, ensuring relevance to different career stages.

While leading the GRSS chapter, we made a proposal to have a distinguished lecturer (DL) for our community. It was a lot of work, but it was very exciting to have a Latin American woman in the field to inspire our group. From that initiative, Professor Anabella Ferral has become DL since 2025. It is very amazing to be able to have support to materialize the ideas to develop our community.

Why do you think establishing a chapter in your region is important and how do you maintain cadence in membership?

Establishing and maintaining a GRSS chapter in our region is essential as it provides a platform for collaboration, knowledge sharing, and professional development within the Latin American remote sensing and geospatial community. To maintain an active and engaged membership, we focus on several key priorities. These include engaging students and early-career professionals through mentorship and training opportunities, building strong ties with local universities and research institutions, and encouraging interdisciplinary projects that connect remote sensing with diverse applications. We also promote Latin American women’s leadership and representation in STEM, exemplified by our nomination of Anabella Ferral as the first Latin American Distinguished Lecturer (DL). Additionally, we support high-quality research activities, including nominating Marcelo Scavuzzo for Fellow Membership in recognition of his contributions to GRSS development in the region, and we foster a strong sense of community and teamwork by encouraging collaboration across institutions and disciplines.

What has been achieved in your chapter that you are proud of?

One of our most significant achievements is the growth of our Latin American network within GRSS. We have actively encouraged the formation of new chapters in other countries, strengthening GRSS’s regional presence and creating a more interconnected and supportive professional network.

What is your vision for the future of your chapter?

Looking ahead, our vision for the chapter includes expanding outreach programs to engage more young professionals and researchers by introducing initiatives like awards for the best thesis in GRSS and grants for participation in GRSS congresses. We also aim to establish undergraduate student branches.

In addition, we are committed to enhancing industry-academia collaboration to bridge the gap between research and practical applications. We plan to strengthen international partnerships, particularly with other GRSS chapters and institutions in Latin America. Our efforts will also focus on developing capacity-building initiatives such as workshops, hackathons, and training programs to support the next generation of geospatial scientists. We will continue advocating for women’s leadership and representation in remote sensing, STEM, and geomatic sciences, while reinforcing teamwork and collaborative projects to ensure active member participation in decision-making and strategic planning.

Do you have anything else to add?

We’re excited to keep growing the chapter and making GRSS a powerful force for collaboration  in Latin America. I want to highlight that none of this would be possible without teamwork and a  strong sense of community. Science can be a tough road, but sharing it with the right people makes it beautiful. I’m especially grateful to mentors like Marcelo Scavuzzo, Anabella Ferral, and Alba Germán, and to my colleagues Giuliana Beltramone, Raúl Rivas, and the rest of our team.

Instagram page: www.instagram.com/grss.argentina/

LinkedIn page: www.linkedin.com/company/ieee-geoscience-and-remote-sensing-society-grss-argenti…

GRSS website: r9.ieee.org/argentina-grss/