Climate change, habitat degradation, overexploitation, and biological invasions are among the major threats to global biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. These threats are leading to the regional loss of species and altered energy flows, which can have severe impacts on human health, well-being, and economic activities. Current efforts to halt the biodiversity crisis are falling short of international needs, highlighting the urgency for policy-relevant research that quantifies the effect of anthropogenic impacts under contrasting scenarios to inform citizens, managers, and policymakers on the best strategies for protecting, conserving, and managing biodiversity. Our team is devoted to developing the necessary tools and providing the relevant information for evidence-based, long-term proactive actions to protect our planet's biodiversity and ecosystems. 

Central Question

Our central question is “what are the consequences of anthropogenic impacts to global biodiversity and ecosystem functioning?”. In particular, we aim to (1) understand the underlying mechanisms driving the global distribution of biodiversity, (2) project the consequences of anthropogenic impacts to the distribution of biodiversity, in particular, those associated with global climate change under contrasting scenarios (e.g., Paris Agreement expectations vs. reduced mitigation strategies), and (3) identify priority conservation areas safeguarding biodiversity for future generations (e.g., climatic refugia) to inform global conservation and management strategies.

Opportunities

If you are interested in conducting your postdoc, PhD or MSc project in our team, we can discuss the possibility of helping secure your own funding. Please review available funding schemes (list below) and send us a one-page summary of your research idea, along with your CV. If you don’t have a clear research idea, have a look at our publications, and book a meeting with us.