Fey Silva Vidal
 | This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. (April 2025) |
Fey Yamina Silva Vidal | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1966 (age 58–59) Pashi, Monzón, Huamalíez, Huánuco |
| Nationality | Peruvian |
| Alma mater | PhD in Physical-Mathematical Sciences at the Russian State University of Hydrometeorology |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Vice Minister of Strategic Development of Natural Resources at the Ministry of Environment (2022–2023) |
Fey Yamina Silva Vidal (born 1966, Huánuco.) is a Peruvian meteorologist,[1] and the first woman in the country to earn a PhD in Physical-Mathematical Sciences.[2] She has led pioneering research on climate variability and the El Niño phenomenon, contributing to improved climate prediction and variability, with an emphasis on the Peruvian Andes.[2][3] Her research has advanced scientific understanding of atmospheric processes and provides essential data for climate change adaptation.[1]
She has held several public positions, including serving as Vice Minister of Strategic Development of Natural Resources at the Ministry of Environment (Spanish: Ministerio del Ambiente, MINAM) in 2022,[4] and as Director of the Geophysical Institute of Peru (Spanish: Instituto Geofísico del Perú, IGP).[4] She is currently a lead researcher at the IGP, heading a research initiative focused on understanding the physical, dynamic, and microphysical processes that climate variability in the Andes.[1]
Her scientific achievements have been recognized by the National Council of Science, Technology, and Innovation (Spanish: Consejo Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación, CONCYTEC). She has joined the Pro-Women in Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Committee (Spanish: Comité Pro Mujer en CTI) since 2022 and served as its president for the 2023–2024 period.[5]
Biography
[edit]Early age
[edit]At the age of 12, her family decided to move to Lima, since the Monzón Valley had become a dangerous place, due to terrorism and drug trafficking.[1] From an early age, she showed great interest in meteorological phenomena and the effects of El Niño phenomenon on her country.[1][2]
Studies
[edit]After finishing high school, she obtained a scholarship from the National Institute of Scholarships and Educational Credit (Spanish: Instituto Nacional de Becas y Crédito Educativo,INABEC) to study meteorology at the Russian State University of Hydrometeorology, where she also earned her master's degree and a PhD in Physico-Mathematical Sciences in 1992.[1] [2] During her studies, she focused on the physical and dynamic processes of the atmosphere using meteorological models and radars to understand the causes of climate variability and extreme weather events.[2]
Career
[edit]After 13 years abroad, she returned to Peru in 1998 as the country's first female meteorologist with a doctorate. She joined Dr. Pablo Lagos at the Geophysical Institute of Peru (IGP) to develop a predictive model for rainfall during the El Niño phenomenon, serving as the principal scientific researcher.[2] Since then, she has worked at the IGP, focusing on evaluating atmospheric conditions in Peru, analyzing the El Niño phenomenon, and studying climate variability in the Andes across various time scales.[1]
Her research has also encompassed climate variability, extreme meteorological events, climate change, and atmospheric numerical modeling, leading several significant studies in these areas.[3] Since 2003, she has conducted studies to understand the effects of climate variability in the Peruvian Andes, with an emphasis on the Mantaro River basin and its response to climate change.[2] As part of her research efforts, she established the Atmospheric Microphysics and Radiation Laboratory (LAMAR) at the Huancayo Geophysical Observatory, enhancing the region's capacity to study atmospheric processes and their environmental impacts.[1][4]
In August 2021, Silva became the Head of the Decentralized Office of the Central Macro Region at the National Institute for Research of Glacier and Mountain Ecosystems (Spanish: Instituto Nacional de Investigación en Glaciares y Ecosistemas de Montaña, INAIGEM).[6] During her tenure, she conducted research on the effects of climate variability and the melting of Andean glaciers in Peru, focusing on the interaction between the atmosphere and the cryosphere.[2]
From March to December 2022, she served as Vice Minister of Strategic Development of Natural Resources at the Ministry of Environment.[4] Following her tenure at MINAM, she returned to the IGP as a principal scientific researcher, a position she continues to hold today.[1]
Yamina Silva has over two decades of experience as a university professor specializing in climate change and meteorology. She taught courses on climate change and risk management and in the Master’s Program in Water at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru from 2021 to the present.[7]
Research
[edit]Her research focuses on the atmosphere and hydrosphere, climate modeling, future climate scenarios, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change.[1]
Awards and recognitions
[edit]Yamina Silva became the first Peruvian meteorologist to obtain a PhD in Physical-Mathematical Sciences, awarded by the Institute of Hydrometeorology of Russia.[2] In 2021, CONCYTEC highlighted her career as a scientist and her inclusion in the book Women Scientists of Peru: 24 Stories to Discover.[1] She was served as the President of the Pro-Women in STI Committee during the 2023–2024 period.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Científicas del Perú: 24 historias por descubrir (in Spanish). Consejo Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Tecnológica – Concytec. 2021. p. 53. ISBN 978-9972-50-198-2.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i PERÚ, Empresa Peruana de Servicios Editoriales S. A. EDITORA (2022-08-08). "Yamina Silva, la meteoróloga que inspira a más peruanos con la ciencia". andina.pe (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-03-02.
- ^ a b "Yamina Silva". met.igp.gob.pe. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
- ^ a b c d "Yamina Silva Vidal es designada viceministra de Desarrollo Estratégico de los Recursos Naturales del Minam". www.gob.pe (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-03-02.
- ^ a b "CONCYTEC instala nueva conformación del Comité Pro Mujer en CTI 2024". www.gob.pe (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-03-02.
- ^ "Designan Director de la Oficina de Abastecimiento de la Oficina General de Administración del Ministerio". busquedas.elperuano.pe. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
- ^ PUCP. "FEY YAMINA SILVA VIDAL DE MILLONES". CV PUCP (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-02-27.