It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Prof. Dr. Mariana Rufino, who passed away far too early on 14 September 2025 at the age of only 53.
Mariana Rufino was an outstanding scientist in agricultural and environmental research and a valued and highly committed member of our Scientific Advisory Board at the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB). With her expertise and visionary approach to sustainable livestock and agricultural systems, she placed global animal husbandry in a bioeconomic context. Thanks to her experience and systemic approach, she provided significant support for the strategic orientation of ATB and always enriched it with her critical and constructive input.
Mariana Rufino's scientific career focused on the complex relationships between agriculture, the environment and global food security. She completed her studies in agricultural sciences at the National University of Tucuman in Argentina, followed by a doctoral thesis and postdoc phase at Wageningen University. She then spent many years researching carbon and nutrient cycles, water systems and greenhouse gas emissions at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) in Kenya. Most recently, she held the Chair of Agricultural Systems at Lancaster University and, since 2023, the Chair of Livestock Systems at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Her expertise made her an internationally recognised expert, particularly in the sustainable design of alternative livestock systems, which she considered comprehensively and globally in a differentiated manner.
Her scientific work was characterised by its exceptional breadth and depth, with the aim of identifying scientifically sound solutions to global challenges. She focused in particular on reducing greenhouse gas emissions in livestock farming, land use change and the role of different livestock species in plant diversity and ecosystem functions – with a strong focus on tropical and subtropical regions. Her pioneering approach, which combined digital tools, environmental sensor data, and system modeling, will continue to have a lasting impact on bioeconomy research in the future.
With Mariana Rufino's passing, ATB and the global research community have lost a highly esteemed colleague, a pioneering scientist and a wonderful person whose open, warm and supportive nature we will deeply miss.
We are grateful for the time we spent together and will honour her memory.
Our deepest sympathy goes out to her family, relatives, friends and colleagues.
On behalf of the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB) and the Scientific Advisory Board, represented by Jürgen Zentek.