I consider myself a Wildlife Ecologist with broad research interests in ecology and wildlife management of small and medium size mammal populations.

 

During my PhD in the Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JJCM) and my first postdoc in Estación Biológica de Doñana-CSIC, I studied the ecology, epidemiology and management of wild rabbit populations. Much of my research has focused on the improvement of habitat management measures for conservation of wild rabbits as a key prey for extremely endangered species such as the Iberian lynx and the Iberian imperial eagle. During my five years in New Zealand at Landcare Research Ltd. my research focused on the ecology and tuberculosis epidemiology of the introduced brushtail possum in dryland areas and native forest in New Zealand. This included analysis of population density estimates, animal movement, spatial ecology and habitat selection analyses, interaction between invasive species and the mechanisms for transmission of tuberculosis in the wild. 

Thanks to a Talent Hub-Marie Curie grant I started working in the University of Cordoba (Spain), in 2015 where I focus my research in using a multidisciplinary approach that combines assessment of damage, impacts and ecological analysis to solve vertebrate pest conflicts using the European wild rabbit as a model species. In April 2021 I started as Lecturer position in the Ecology Area of the Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology of the University of Cordoba. And finally, since December 2022 I hold an Associate Professorship position at the Department of Plant Biology and Ecology of the University of Seville (Spain) where I continue research in ecology, epidemiology and wildlife management of medium sized mammals populations. Paying special attention on the impact of viral diseases on wild rabbit and Iberian hare populations, studying spillover events and the impact of zoonotic diseases in wildlife in an agricultural interface.