I am a microbial ecologist, Group Leader at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF) in Barcelona, and an Adjunct Professor at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science at the University of Miami. I earned a Ph.D. in Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology from the Institute of Marine Sciences (CSIC) in Barcelona in 2011, followed by postdoctoral research at the University of Barcelona, the University of British Columbia (Vancouver), and a return to the Institute of Marine Sciences. In 2019, I joined the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science as an Assistant Professor, and in 2021, I became a Group Leader at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology. My research focuses on microbial symbionts and the effects of global warming on the microbiota of benthic and planktonic marine animals. While climate change significantly impacts free-living marine microbial communities, its effects on symbiotic microbes remain poorly understood. Microbial symbionts, both prokaryotic and eukaryotic, are essential to their host evolution, physiology, and ecological function. My work examines how global warming-driven environmental changes alter the composition and function of symbiotic microbial communities in key marine organisms—including corals, mollusks, and teleost fish—and how these shifts affect host health. To address these questions, I employ a multidisciplinary approach integrating molecular biology techniques such as metabarcoding and single-cell genomics, advanced imaging, ecophysiology, and bioinformatics. His goal is to advance our understanding of microbial interactions in marine ecosystems and their role in shaping the resilience of marine organisms to climate change.

Interests
  • Microbial Ecology
  • Microbial Evolution
  • Microbiome
  • Protists
  • Climate Change
  • Corals
Education
  • PhD in Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, 2011

    Universitat de Barcelona and Institut de Ciències del Mar

  • DEA in Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, 2005

    Universitat de Barcelona

  • BSc in Biology, 2003

    Universitat de Barcelona

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