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 influence ecological communities - how they form, function, and change. I studied ecosystem stability during my PhD at the University of Adelaide (Australia, 2013-2016) with Prof. Sean Connell. My results showed that energy use was an important factor for stability so I joined the lab of Prof. Dustin Marshall at Monash University as a postdoc to study metabolism (2016-2018). I stayed at Monash University as an Australian Research Council DECRA fellow (2019-2021) to investigate how organisms use energy in complex ecological settings before moving to the Gulbenkian Institute in 2022. In my lab, we use marine phytoplankton to study the interplay between species interactions, metabolism, and community functioning, exploring both ecological and evolutionary dynamics. (Download CV) |
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
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 in 2023 and then joined the PhD program of IGC in September 2023. |
E: restevens [at] igc.gulbenkian.pt
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Ricardo Estevens
Technician Ricardo holds a degree in Cell and Molecular Biology from Nova University (2017-2020) and a Master Degree in Biotechnology from the Instituto Superior Técnico of Lisbon (2020-2022), where he gained experience in microbiology. He joined the Functional Ecology lab in October 2023 as a technician where is learning about the ecology and evolution of phytoplankton before pursuing a PhD. |
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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 joined the Functional Ecology lab for her professional practice in April-May 2023 to explore some of these interests, and will return in January 2024 to develop her master thesis. |
