Prof. Dr. András Székács - MATE Research
Overview
Her research focuses firstly on the impact of climate change on the production environment and crop productivity, secondly on modelling the spread of invasive pests based on environmental factors, thirdly on the integration of advanced mathematical techniques into agricultural research, and lastly on modelling of severe wet snow accretion on overhead transmission lines. Her expertise lies in agrometeorology, agroclimatology, big data analysis, advanced mathematical and statistical methods and modelling.
Katalin Somfalvi-Tóth's work contributes to questions of how the consequences of climate change influence agricultural production in the past and the future.
Her theoretical work examines how plants respond to biotic and abiotic stressors like heat and water stress and physical damage due to pest activity. Furthermore, she models the environmental factors in global and regional climate models using different climate scenarios to study those challenges that must be faced in future agricultural production. Katalin Somfalvi-Tóth has collaborated with Weather Intelligence for Renewable Energies (WIRE), Action ES-1002 of European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST – ES1002) and Measuring and forecasting atmospheric icing on structures, Action 727 of European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST-727) research groups across Europe and worldwide, and she has successfully applied for the ÚNKP-20-4-II. research grant nationally. She won the prestigious Róna Zsigmond Youth grant and was awarded the Young Meteorologist of the Year in 2022.
She is an Associate Editor of the Légkör, Quarterly Journal of the HungaroMet Kft. (formerly Hungarian Meteorological Service).
Research keywords:
Publications
Projects
Aquafluosense: Development of a modular, direct and immunofluorimetry as well as plasma spectroscopy based detector and instrument family for in situ, complex water quality monitoring, and application studies; project identifier: NVKP_16-1-2016-0049
NVKP project, 2017-2021, completed; project role: Consortium Leader. The project aimed to develop a new water analysis system for natural and artificial waters, allowing complex, systematic and for main parameters in situ assessment and monitoring of water quality, by developing a modular instrument family that can be individually configured for target tasks at each monitoring point. The method developed utilized detection of direct and immunofluorescence as well as laser spectroscopic measurement methods, with the use of cutting edge optical and photonic devices. https://aquafluosense.hu
Biotox: Development of optical bio-sensors for detection of bio-toxins; project identifier: NATO SPS NUKR.SFPP 984637
NATO Science for Peace and Security project, 2015-2018, completed; project role: Consortium Leader. The aim of the project was the utilization of immunosensoric methods to detect mycotoxins of potential human health threat, including deliberate release in warfare-related or terroristic actions. Main immunosensoric methods included localized surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy, optical ellipsometry, and optical waveguide light-mode spectroscopy. https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/78209.htm
SPICED Securing the spices and herbs commodity chains in Europe against deliberate, accidental, or natural biological and chemical contamination; project identifier: FP7 EU-FP7-SEC-2012-1-312631
FP7 project, 2012-2016; completed; project role: Project Partner Coordinator. The main objective of the project was to characterize spice and herb products, as well as their production and supply chains in context with relevant biological and chemical hazards that can lead to major deliberate, accidental or natural contaminations in the food supply chain. Results have been recommended to improve alerting, reporting and decontamination systems as well as techniques to ensure prevention and response on high quality level. http://spiced.eu
