E: gghedini [at] igc.gulbenkian.pt
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Dr Giulia Ghedini
Group Leader, Functional Ecology Group (Dec 2021-present) I am an ecologist and my main interest is understanding the mechanisms that regulate the functioning of ecological communities. During my PhD at the University of Adelaide (Australia, 2013-2016) with Prof. Sean Connell, I studied how changes in the strength of consumer-resource interactions stabilise community productivity to environmental change. These results led me to join the lab of Prof. Dustin Marshall at Monash University, first as a postdoc (2016-2018) and then as an Australian Research Council DECRA fellow (2019-2021), to investigate how organisms use energy in complex ecological settings. I am fascinated by the consequences of species interactions, such as competition, on energy fluxes. In my lab at IGC we use marine phytoplankton to study the interplay between species interactions, metabolism, and community functioning, exploring both ecological and evolutionary dynamics. [Download CV] |
E: mklaassen [at] igc.gulbenkian.pt
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Moritz Klaassen
Lab Manager Moritz holds a degree in Environmental Science from the University of Oldenburg in Germany and a master’s degree in Marine Biological Resources from Ghent University in Belgium. He has specialized in applied marine ecology and conservation is particularly interested in experimental marine ecology. His past research includes drivers of organic carbon fluxes in tropical ecosystems and competition and coexistence in planktonic communities under the broad framework of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Moritz joined the Functional Ecology group as a laboratory manager. |
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E: cbriddon [at] igc.gulbenkian.pt
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Dr Charlotte Briddon
Postdoctoral researcher I am an aquatic ecologist primarily working within the fields of molecular biology and ecosystem functioning. I completed my PhD at the University of Nottingham (UK; 2016-2021) researching the impact of aquaculture on Philippine crater lakes using palaeolimnology, before moving to the Institute of Biological Research in Cluj-Napoca, Romania to begin my first postdoc. There, I worked on the ADVANCE (Adaptive evolution in marine algae under climate change and consequences for ocean services) project. This project focused on how adapting different marine and freshwater species to the increased temperatures and CO2 concentrations can be used to accurately predict their response to future conditions. I was keen to understand more about the mechanics of why certain phytoplankton are better competitors and how competition influences different biological processes within them. I recently joined Giulia Ghedini´s Function Ecology Group at the IGC, where we will use marine algae to understand how competition influences different metabolic processes. |
E: dalmeida [at] igc.gulbenkian.pt
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Daniela Almeida
Technician/PhD Candidate Daniela obtained her bachelor and masters degree in Marine Biology, at the University of Algarve. Her international master degree focused on marine scientific research, where she developed a specific interest for ecosystem conservation and climate change studies. She performed her master thesis in the UK, at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory, assessing the level of resilience kelp organisms towards marine heatwaves and artificial light at night, a study done in collaboration with the Center of Marine Science of Algarve-CCMAR. She joined the Functional Ecology Laboratory group as a research technician and will start her PhD in the fall of 2023. |
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Aurora Menéndez García
Master student Aurora is a Spanish Master student in the International Master in Marine Biological Resources (IMBRSea). Her bachelor in Marine Sciences made her develop an interest in marine phycology, marine ecology and anthropogenic climate change research. She is currently doing her professional practice here at the Functional Ecology of the Gulbenkian Science Institute to explore some of these interests. |
