Vice-Dean, College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, USFQ
Head of the Biotechnology Department, USFQ
Adjunct Professor, Biology, UNC-CH
GSC Advisory Board, Member
The research that I carry out in Galapagos is mainly focused on better understanding the state of endemic plants and the problematic of invasive plants. In this context, when there are species of the same genus—with the presence of endemic and invasive counterparts—it is interesting to analyze the interactions that can occur between them, such as whether or not hybridization processes have occurred that could be affecting the endemic species in several aspects. Two of the genera I work with at the moment are Psidium and Solanum.
I am also working on a project related to grasses. This research tries to better understand the history of this group of plants in different environments with widely varying light regimes, such as in the Ecuadorian highlands, the tropical rain forests and the coastal and island ecosystems.