 I have been a diver since well before I became a Biologist. There is nothing that I like more than diving, and my interest for marine invertebrates communities, their biology and ecology, is the result of the many observations that I had the chance to make during my early diving years.
My first studies involved photophilic algae meiofauna. My PhD thesis was focused on soft-bottom communities of the Ebre river delta (Tarragona, Spain), mainly working on the taxonomy of marine nematoda, the most important group in meiobenthos. I have always felt interested on the interactions occurring in those soft-bottoms between meiofauna and macrofauna, particularly in areas under stress, usually due to anthropic actions. Those studies have allowed me to join several surveys in oceanographic ships, one of the aspects that I enjoy the most about marine research. Aboard one of those vessels, the BIO Hespérides, I have participated in two Antarctic surveys within the project Bentart.
My current research is focused on mediterranean echinodermata communities, particularly in the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. Thanks to the funding of several projects, we have worked on many aspects of their biology, ecology, filogeography and population structure using genetic tools. I have also approached the group of ascidians, co-supervising a PhD thesis on the biology and population genetics of the species Pycnoclavella.
My last five years have been devoted to academic management, as Academic Vicedean of the Facultat de Biologia of the Universitat de Barcelona. It has been a fascinating task, but it has forced me to put aside my research work for a while. Now, I am resuming this research full of motivation.
Getting to know the underwater world from many places in the world has made me feel deeply concerned about the need to respect and protect the marine environment. To do so, we need an exhaustive knowledge of its communities and their interactions. Determining possible disturbances in the environment and collaborating with the conservation of benthic species will be one of my main goals in future research.
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