Research interests
I’m particularly interested in the origin, the present, and the future of tropical biodiversity, and how to ensure sustainable development without affecting biodiversity and life support systems. I cover a wide range of fields including ecology, biogeography, evolutionary biology and conservation biology. My passion and main study group are the birds. Some examples of questions I’m intended to answer with my research are: how do tropical birds persist in agricultural landscapes?, what are their habitat requirements?, how do bird communities respond to global environmental change?, does bird diversity influence ecosystem resilience and functioning?, what are the drivers behind the structure and diversity of tropical bird communities? Although I have a special interest into the birds of my country Colombia, I have a pantropical perspective and the birds from Africa (Cameroon) and Asia (Indo Burma and Sundaland) also have a place in my heart. My PhD project aims to understand the drivers of diversity and assembly of bird communities in a regional environmental gradient in Cameroon and to assess the combined impacts of climate change and land use on Afrotropical birds. I’m open to research collaborations and will be happy to be approached for projects involving birds, and people in tropical regions.

Projects

• Ecological and Socioeconomic Functions of Tropical Lowland Rainforest Transformation Systems (EFForTS project), B09 - Aboveground biodiversity patterns and processes across rainforest transformation landscapes in Jambi Sumatra, Indonesia (within this research module , I have explored bird diversity in different plots representing different land uses and experiments)

PhD Topic
Diversity and assembly of forest bird communities across a rainfall gradient in Central Africa


Curriculum Vitae

Since 2021 PhD student
Department of conservation biology, University of Göttingen, KAAD scholarship holder

2017-2020 Master in science in forest sciences and forest ecology
Göttingen University

2005-2011 Bachelor in Biology
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogota, Colombia

Work experience
2020-2021 Research Assistant, Department of Conservation Biology, University of Göttingen
2020 Research assistant, Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Animal Ecology Group, University of Göttingen
2020 Research Assistant, Agroecology Group, University of Göttingen
2016-2018 Ornithologist, Consultoria Colombiana (CONCOL), Colombia
2014-2016 Zoologist, Bogota Environment Secretary, Colombia
2013-2014 Biologist, Botanical Garden José Celestino Mutis, Colombia
2013 Ornithologist, Art collegium Foundation, Colombia
2013 Biologist, Conservation International Colombia
2012-2013 Biologist, Alcaldía Local de Suba, Colombia