Biography

Since 2020, I am an academic fellow at the School of Biological Sciences where I work at the interface of animal ecology, modeling and social sciences.  With students and colleagues, we focus on questions in ecology and conservation biology dealing with the impact of climate change and human activities on spatial and temporal dynamics and species management and conservation. 

If you’d like to work with us, feel free to contact me. Also, I can help you secure your own funding for your PhD or PostDoc if you have a neat idea. Drop me an email with your CV, interests and we can talk about it. 

You can find a few more details of my research in the following sections. My ambition is to promote social justice and climate action within and outside of academia. 

Prizes and Awards

Gold Medal Red Cross Spain, commitment with environmental sustainability and climate change action 2019.

Premio Manuel Leal Best Professional career 2019. 

Academic Excellence Award PhD Thesis University of Barcelona 2018.

Runner up best oral presentation Liverpool International Seabird Group Conference 2018.

Homeward Bound fellow 2018.

Runner up FAMELAB Spain 2014.

Academic Excellence Award BSc Environmental Sciences & Marine Sciences Universidad de Cádiz 

2010 

Research Overview

I work at the interface of theoretical and quantitative ecology. My main aims are to understand underlying eco-evolutionary processes driving population dynamics and to quantify and identify anthropogenic and environmental drivers acting on wild populations. Specifically, I have focused the effects stochasticity ― early life conditions, supplementary feeding, consecutive perturbations and extreme climatic events ― on life history traits such as survival, breeding performance, dispersal, migration, colonization or persistence.  Unravelling the underlying dynamics of wild populations under different environmental stochasticity regimes goes beyond the pure thrill of contributing to widening our ecological knowledge. Animal populations are increasingly vulnerable to extinction and population declines; hence understanding the processes, which underlie their dynamics, will be an invaluable tool in conserving and managing these species. Moreover, within my research I aim to integrate the socio-ecological perspective when modelling animal populations. This is because species do not exist on their own; they have an ecological and a social context that modulates their response to management actions. Therefore, if we aim to achieve both species conservation and sustainable development of local communities, we need to integrate them through the scientific process.

1. Demography ( including complex systems)

2. No Harm Energy Transition. 

3. Human Wildlife Conflict

4. Scientific Colonialism in Ecological Research

5. Art and Science as tools to achieve a more sustainable and cohesive society.

To have a look at my publication record you have a look at my Google Scholar profile. 

Funding and Grants

Migrate. BES Outreach Grant. 2020-2021. 

A direct test of the impact of infection on animal migration: consequences for parasite and host populations (NERC Reference: NE/V001809/1/ NE/V001779/1) PI. Emma Cunningham. Co-I Ana Payo Payo 2020-2022.

Linking demographic theory and data to forecast the dynamics of spatially-structured seasonally-mobile populations. University of Aberdeen PI. Reid Jane. Post doc Ana Payo Payo 2018 - 2020