The lab is part of an international network with nodes at the National Museum of Natural Sciences (CSIC) in Madrid and at the Rui Nabeiro Biodiversity Chair, University of Évora, that brings together researchers and students who seek to further understanding in the fields of biogeography, conservation biology, global change biology, and macroecology. Research is driven by three overarching questions: 1) how did past climate changes affect biodiversity? 2) how might current and future environmental changes affect biodiversity? 3) how can biodiversity be conserved given current and future challenges?
To address these questions, we integrate large climate and species distributions databases with descriptions of behavioural and physiological traits of species, molecular phylogenies, and the fossil record. Most research in the lab involves statistical analyses of ecological data, including data mining, bioclimatic modeling, and mathematical simulations, but large-scale experiments, including microcosm and mesocosm experiments, are now being devised for testing models and theory on species distributions and species coexistence.
Miguel Bastos Araújo
Belgium-born, British-trained, Portuguese researcher with additional work experiences in Denmark, France, and Spain. Fluent in four major European languages, he classifies himself as a biogeographer seeking to understand how different facets of life distribute in space and time, and why. While asking fundamental questions about the geography of Life, Miguel Bastos Araújo is also interested in the application of biogeographical principals, theories and models to management, planning and policies for biodiversity conservation in a changing world.
Joining the lab?
We are open to discuss proposals for hosting post-doctoral research fellows in the lab. Postgraduate students interested in joining the lab should write a very brief outline of their research interests. We encourage students to develop their own projects, though we sometimes offer studentships on specific topics of interest. We receive a vast number of applicants and places are very limited – we take on at most one or two students each year. When inquiring about opportunities make sure your project falls clearly within the scope of our research and, please, avoid common pitfalls.
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