I lead the Landscape Ecology and Ecosystems Conservation Group at the University of Basel, working at the interface between ecological science and real-world conservation action. My research combines ecological modelling, spatial analysis, and field data to understand how species and ecosystems respond to land-use and climate change—and to turn these insights into strategies that support conservation decisions.

I’m especially driven by making ecological knowledge operational for practitioners and policymakers. Whether it’s identifying restoration sites that foster ecological connectivity, evaluating the biodiversity conservation implications of energy development, or designing management approaches to safeguard ecosystem services under climate change—my goal is to ensure research findings inform on-the-ground conservation decisions.

Research & collaborative interests

• Landscape ecology & spatial modelling:  quantifying species habitat suitability over space and time, and assessing ecological connectivity.
• Ecosystem services & multifunctionality: quantifying ecosystem service provision and how this can be shaped by ecosystem’s management.
• Applied systematic conservation planning: identifying best areas for conservation and restoration efforts; exploring synergies and trade-offs across biodiversity conservation and human uses (e.g. agriculture, energy infrastructure).Optimal design of monitoring programs.
• Global change impacts: predicting biodiversity responses to land-use and climate shifts across species and ecosystems.
• Effectiveness of Protected areas and Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs)

Currently, I’m leading projects focused on the impacts of glacial retreat on biodiversity in the Alps, and how land-use and energy developments both challenge and enable conservation and restoration efforts across different landscapes and ecosystems (alpine, Mediterranean).

Previous Positions & International Experience

Before joining the University of Basel in 2025, I´ve built extensive international experience—always with the aim of translating ecological knowledge into practical conservation strategies:

• University of Lausanne (Switzerland)(2023-2025) – Postdoctoral researcher, Biodiversity Change Lab / ECOSPAT group: applying models to forecast climate change impacts on alpine biodiversity.
• University of Bern (Switzerland) (2023-2024) – Researcher, Division of Conservation Biology: informing conservation responses to glacier retreat and alpine ecosystem changes.
• CREAF & CTFC (Spain) (2015-2022) – Senior scientist: Mediterranean forests; ecosystem service quantification; landscape dynamics modelling; spatial planning for conservation.
• Monash University & University of Melbourne (Australia)  (2012-2025)– Postdoctoral fellow: landscape connectivity; spatial planning; ecological forecasting.
• University of Toronto (Canada) (2016)  – Visiting researcher: landscape dynamics modelling for ecosystem service quantification.
• CATIE (Costa Rica) (2019)  – Visiting researcher: spatial planning for ecological restoration.

Service work

Contributing expert to international assessments – Contributing author of  Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)  Regional assessment for Europe and Central Asia (2018), and Lead-Author of theFirst Mediterranean Assessment Report on Climate and Environmental Change (2019). These reports help ensure that both global and regional policy frameworks are grounded in rigorous ecological evidence.

Current:

Lead Author IPBES Spatial planning and connectivity assessment (2025-2027) – Chapter 3: Implementing targets 2 and 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, on restoration and protected areas and other area-based conservationmeasures.

Associate Editor Ecological Solutions and Evidence (BES) (2023 – ).