I have a degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Granada (2005) and a PhD in Ecology of Arid Zones from the University of Almeria (2009). Throughout my professional career, I have been fortunate to have worked for more than 8 years in internationally renowned research centers in Australia, Holland, Argentina and the United States. During my predoctoral research, I worked at the Laboratory of Regional Analysis and Remote Sensing (LART) of the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina, 2006-2007). Subsequently, as a postdoctoral researcher, I made stays as a visiting researcher at Charles Sturt University (Australia, 2010-2011) and at VU University Amsterdam (The Netherlands, 2011-2012). From 2012-2015 I obtained a contract as Senior Researcher at the Oklahoma Biological Survey at the University of Oklahoma (2012-2015), where I also obtained a position as Adjunct Professor. Subsequently, I obtained a position as Assistant Professor of Socio-Ecological Systems at Idaho State University (2015-2018). Since 2018 I am Adjunct Professor at Idaho State University, and since 2020 Full Professor at the University of Almeria where I teach Global Change and Socio-Ecological Systems and Field Techniques and Data Analysis in the Environmental Sciences degree, and Ecosystem Services and Sustainability in the Master in Sustainable Use of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Services.
RESEARCH
As a socio-ecological researcher, my research interests focus on exploring the complexity of human-nature relationships, with the ultimate goal of understanding the ecological, moral and psychological dimensions of human behavior that affect the conservation of nature and the maintenance of human well-being.
My research is based on a strong personal conviction about the urgent need for a type of science that ensures the social and economic well-being of society without compromising the health and functioning of the ecosystems that sustain it. My scientific approach is inclusive and collaborative, facilitating interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary teams to achieve new models of knowledge that meet the interests of society. The international character of my research allows me to offer cutting-edge teaching, in which I aim to motivate and inspire my students with the objective of promoting this change of thinking in their professional careers. My vision is based on: Improving the social-ecological resilience of multifunctional landscapes in a rapidly changing world and changing the way science generates and applies knowledge to improve the sustainable management of social-ecological systems (human-nature systems) and promoting this change to other academic disciplines.
RESEARCH GROUP: Sustainability, Resilience and Governance of Socio-Ecological Systems (RNM-933)
RESEARCH LINES
- Analysis and governance of Socio-Ecological Systems.
- Valuation and Quantification of Ecosystem Services
- Multiple values of nature
- Biodiversity conservation
- Management and planning of coastal ecosystems
- Transdisciplinary Science
- Ecological and computational modeling
- Sustainability of agricultural systems
- Agroecology
PARTICIPATION IN NETWORKS (REGIONAL/NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL)
- The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) (https://ipbes.net/values-assessment)
- Program on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS) (https://pecs-science.org/)
- GEOBON Ecosystem Services Group (https://geobon.org/ebvs/ecosystem-services/)
- Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP) (https://www.es-partnership.org/community/workings-groups/biome-working-groups/bwg-4-drylands/)
PROJECTS TO HIGHLIGHT
- ECOSER - Contribution of marine ecosystem services of natural protected areas to human well-being. Biodiversity Foundation(https://fundacion-biodiversidad.es/es/content/ecoser-contribucion-de-los-servicios-ecosistemicos-marinos-de-areas-naturales-protegidas-al)
- PREDICT: Predicting impacts of future policy-based land use scenarios on Idaho’s Ecosystem Services and implications for human wellbeing” National Science Foundation, EE.UU. (https://www.isu.edu/cere/researchsites/portneuf-river/predicting-impacts/)
- Ecosystem Functional Diversity of the Circumpolar Arctic, National Science Foundation, EE.UU. (https://appliedsciences.nasa.gov/what-we-do/projects/ecosystem-functional-diversity-circumpolar-arctic)
- MILES: “Managing Idaho´s Landscapes for Ecosystem Services (MILES)”. National Science Foundation, EE.UU. (https://www.idahoecosystems.org/)