European Turfgrass Society
ETS Current Board
Board member
Marcela Munoz (President)
Marcela Muñoz is a Chilean/Spanish amateur football player and experienced turfgrass specialist with over 20 years in the industry. She holds a degree in Agricultural Engineering from The Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and a Master of Science in Turfgrass Management from The Ohio State University.
Throughout Marcela’s career, she has worked in diverse roles across countries and continents, contributing to organizations and companies such as Corfo, PUC, OSU, STRI, Syngenta, Bion, Anasac, Kepes, TurfMasters, UCLM, and many others. Marcela’s curiosity and adaptability have allowed her to excel in various areas, including research and development, technical and business support, consultancy, training, tournament preparation, and marketing and communications, among others.
Recently, Marcela launched a personal project called ScienceBlu and now works as an independent professional, focusing on innovation, sustainability, and education.
In parallel, Marcela has always been deeply involved with professional associations, serving on different boards and committees throughout her career (such as SFMA and Women in Turf Spain). Over the past four years, she has served on the ETS board and is honored to have been elected as the first woman president of the European Turfgrass Society for the next four years.
Marcela is committed to leading the ETS to new heights, fostering connections among members, driving growth in both industry and science, creating a diverse, inclusive, and accessible environment and ensuring a sustainable future for the ETS.
Board member
Cristina Sudiro (Vice President)
Cristina joined Landlab, a renowned Italian research and development company specializing in sustainable solutions for agriculture and turf management, in 2017 as R&D Manager and Scientific Director. She holds a master's degree in Industrial Biotechnology, with a focus on plant physiology, and a PhD in Bioscience and Biotechnology, both earned at the University of Padua (Italy). Her professional journey integrates academic knowledge with practical innovation, particularly in developing biostimulants and resource-efficient practices.
At Landlab, Cristina collaborates with a multidisciplinary team, leveraging advanced biochemical, molecular, and phenotyping tools to drive progress in sustainable agriculture, amenities, and turf systems. By joining the European Turfgrass Society (ETS), she connects with a welcoming community of experts passionate about advancing turfgrass science and sustainability. Cristina views it as a great way to stay updated on the latest innovations, collaborate with like-minded professionals, and play an active role in advancing and sharing knowledge within this dynamic and fascinating sector.
Board member
Anne Borchert (Co-Treasurer)
Anne started at the NIBIO turfgrass research group at Landvik in January 2022. There she has worked on different projects covering sustainable fertilization of golf greens, robotic mowing, sustainable sod production, establishment of golf greens after winter damage, drought stress and variety testing.
Anne has a diploma in agriculture and a master's degree in applied plant production, focusing on turfgrass management. Before starting to work at NIBIO, she coordinated and carried out various research projects on sustainable fertilization of agricultural crops at the University of Applied Sciences in Osnabrueck (Germany). Anne has also worked as a journalist for a German agricultural magazine for three years.
Anne is one of the two treasurers on the ETS board. She believed that the ETS is a great place to meet others who work with turfgrass in Europe, exchange practical experiences and start new collaborations.
Board member
Jan Cordel (Co-Treasurer)
Jan is a researcher and professional in soil science and turfgrass management based in Germany. He holds a diploma in soil science and an M.Sc. in crop science, focusing on sustainable turfgrass management. Jan is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Osnabrück, where his research focuses on enhancing irrigation efficiency in turfgrass management, as well as PC-based simulation models for analyzing irrigation water dynamics in turfgrass areas.
Jan's professional journey includes education and industry roles. He serves as a lecturer in Greenkeeper and Head-Greenkeeper Education at DEULA Rheinland GmbH, Education Center, Kempen. In the private sector, he works with Cordel Sport-Bau, a sports facility construction company in Germany. In this role, he oversees the construction and maintenance of sports facilities and athletic tracks.
On the ETS board, he serves as one of two treasurers and is committed to fostering knowledge exchange at the European level, promoting collaboration, and connecting with others passionate about turfgrass.
Board member
Christian Spring (Secretary)
Christian is a Soil and Environmental Scientist who gained his PhD in 2004 from the University of Striling in Scotland. Christian has spent his entire career as a professional scientist and consultant.
Christian joined STRI in 2005 as a Senior Research Officer and has worked in many roles from Research Manager, Research Operations Manager and Head of Department through to his current role is as Group Principal Scientist. This role focusses on supporting the science undertaken by STRI Group companies, including surface design and construction, turfgrass management, sports surfaces, Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), green infrastructure and how the amenity sector can meet future challenges.
For most of Christian's career, he has been actively involved in carrying our applied turfgrass and sport surface research. His experience covers all aspects of the design, construction and maintenance of sports surfaces for both human and animal athletes.
Christian is passionate about education, training and the communication of science to practitioners and non-expert audiences. He runs industry training programmes on ITM and best practice plant protection product usage, as well as turf fertilisers and turfgrass nutrition.
Board member
Diego Gomez de Barreda Ferraz
Diego Gómez de Barreda Ferraz, Agronomist Engineer Ph.D. is currently an Associate Professor in the Plant Production Department of the Polytechnic University of Valencia, in Spain.
He mainly teaches Herbaceous Crops, and a minor course of turfgrass science within the subject area of Landscape and Gardening.
His primary research interest includes the adaption of turfgrass cultivars to Mediterranean conditions, sustainable turfgrass irrigation and fertilization, and weed science. He joined the Weed Science Turfgrass team at the University of Georgia (USA) for one year during (2011-2012) and another 3 months in 2018.
He has experience in other scientific societies boards such as the Spanish Weed Science Society (2013 to 2019), and the International Turfgrass Society (2013 to 2022). He has published turfgrass research papers in the following peer reviewed Journals: Agronomy, Agronomy Journal, European Journal of Horticultural Sciences, HortScience, HortTechnology, International Turfgrass Research Journal, Pesticide Management, Weed Science and Weed Technology.
Board member
Antonis Grimotsis
Antonis Gkrimotsis is a turf agronomist and Director of Grassform, an ISO-17025 accredited laboratory for testing natural, artificial, and hybrid playing surfaces.
He holds a BSc (Hons) in Sports Turf Science and Management from the University of Central Lancashire.
Antonis has been working in the turf industry for 15 years as a sportsturf consultant, while in the last 4 years, Grassform has been the assigned, independent testing laboratory in major construction and developmental projects, including: key stage inspections, periodic assessments and maintenance evaluation , turf quality control and ongoing pitch monitoring (Super League Greece FCs) - among others.
With extensive experience in warm-season turfgrasses, Antonis focuses his interests on the development of management plans that address the spatial and temporal challenges posed by climate change, with regard especially to precision plant management and sustainable maintenance practices for turf surfaces.
He delivered presentations on the subject at several conferences, while he is also an active member of the Register of Independent Professional Turfgrass Agronomists (RIPTA).
Board member
Jason Kruse
Dr. Jason Kruse is an associate professor in the Environmental Horticulture Department at the University of Florida, Gainesville where he teaches and studies turfgrass science. He received his B.S. from the University of Idaho, his M.S. from the University of Florida, and his Ph.D. from Iowa State University. Dr. Kruse teaches courses in Turfgrass Culture, Golf and Sports Turf Management, and Undergraduate Professional Development. In addition, he is actively involved in curriculum development for the college and university with the goal of training future turfgrass professionals. The primary goal of his research program is to improve the management and use of turfgrass systems. Dr. Kruse's responsibilities as a turfgrass specialist include managing the University of Florida Turfgrass Envirotron teaching and research facility, planning and implementing turfgrass educational field days and leading the statewide turfgrass teaching design team.
Board member
Giuliano Sciusco
Giuliano is currently a PhD student at the University of Pisa, Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment. He started the PhD program in November 2022. His PhD research project is mainly focused on sustainable management in natural turfgrass systems and the adoption of battery-powered lightweight autonomous mowers. For his dissertation project, he will be studying more sustainable and socially accepted turfgrass management practices, using innovative technologies and exploring alternative low-maintenance species.
In 2014, Giuliano participated in the Lifelong Learning Program Erasmus, spending six months at the Czech University of Life Sciences (CULS), in Prague. In 2018 he spent six months in the United States, collaborating with New Mexico State University on various turfgrass research projects, primarily focusing on soil moisture sensor technologies and the utilization of wastewater for irrigation in turfgrass systems. In 2019, Giuliano earned a Master’s degree in Management and Planning of Urban Green Areas at the University of Pisa, subsequently, he started a six-month post-degree internship at Turf Europe S.r.l. (Italy).
In 2020 Giuliano obtained a research grant at the University of Pisa working on natural turfgrasses managed with lightweight autonomous mowers in ornamental, residential, and professional sports areas. In 2024, as part of his PhD research, Giuliano spent six months at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) in Spain.