Zulema comes from Bilbao, Spain. She studied a BSc in Biotechnology (University of the Basque Country, Bilbao), after which she moved to Sweden to enrol a MSc in Plant and Forest Biotechnology (Umeå University, Umeå). She performed her master thesis in Ewa Mellerowicz’s lab (Swedish Agricultural University, Umeå), during which she investigated a protein of a wood-rooting fungus for its applicability in the degradation of lignocellulosic material during industrial wood processing.

After completing her master, she joined Nathaniel Street’s group (Umeå University, Umeå) as lab technician. Since September 2020, she is PhD candidate at Rumyana Karlova’s lab as part of the MiCRop consortium (MiCRop). The goal of her PhD is to investigate the molecular pathways through which Brassicaceae plants recruit beneficial soil microorganisms upon drought or/and herbivore stress. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and going for walks with her dog.