Dr. Ruben Mateo Garcia

Research interests

Research Area

Biogeography, spatial biodiversity patterns, conservation biology, fire ecology, spatial ecology, botany, plant ecology, effects of alien species and climate change on biodiversity, speciation and islands biogeography, and distribution of species in the past
Ecological modelling and geographic information systems (GIS) applied to species distribution models (methodological studies, optimization and comparison of techniques)
Floristic studies (vascular plants and bryophytes) on Iberian Peninsula

Brief report on my research

My research and teaching activity started in 2001, when I was a fourth-year student of Biology, as a collaborator of the Botany Department in the University Complutense of Madrid. At this time, I was specialized in the study of the vascular flora in central Spain. Main result of this research: Bachelor's Thesis, M.Sc., one scientific article, and two books.
In 2004, I started my PhD at the Real Jardín Botánico (Spanish National Research Council), where I decided to apply my knowledge in floristics and plant biology in the context of the modeling of species distribution. While developing this activity, I worked in various research projects related to floristics, taxonomy, molecular biology and nomenclature of bryophytes and vascular plants. Throughout this period, I participated to 10 scientific conferences, attended to 11 additional training courses, did two stays in foreign institutions (Universidad Central del Ecuador and Missouri Botanical Garden, St Louis, USA), and taught several courses. Finally, I presented my PhD in October 2008. The main results of this research have been published in seven scientific articles (international journals included in Science Citation Index), two books and one book chapter.
In 2008, I moved to the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (Postdoctoral Research and University Lecturer). My research activity was mainly focused on the application of ecological modeling into restoration of disturbed areas after wildfires, assessing the effects of climate change within different research projects, two of them funded by the European Union (7th Program Framework and European Commission). Part of the results was published in a chapter book.
Since 2010, I am Lecturer (ecological modelling and geographical information systems applied to the biodiversity conservation) in the "Biodiversity and Conservation in Tropical Areas" M.Sc. (University Menéndez Pelayo and Spanish National Research Council; http://www.masterenbiodiversidad.org/) conducted in the Technologic University Indoamerica (Quito, Ecuador). I was the co-advisor of three M.Sc. theses.
Since 2011, I am also a collaborator in the Polytechnic University of Madrid, where I were the co-advisor of one M.Sc. student, the project is related with the distribution of species in the past. One manuscript was published.
In January 2012, I obtained a postdoctoral position at the University of Liège (Belgium). The main objective of my current research is to investigate the impact of past and future climates on the distribution and genetic diversity and structure of temperate European bryophytes. We published six papers in SCI journals as results of this activity. Also, I was the co-advisor of one M.Sc. thesis student.
In August 2013 I started a new postdoctoral stay at the University of Castilla-La Mancha.
In September 2014, a started a Marie Curie Fellowship of the European Commission to work for two years at the University of Lausanne, the tittle of the project is : ACONITE: Assessment of Carrying capacity cONcept for specIes richness in planT assEmblages
Currently, I maintain collaborations with numerous international institutions: University of Liège, Universidad de Extremadura, Universidad Tecnológica Indoamerica de Ecuador, Universidad de Córdoba, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, University of Lausanne, University of Texas, Kew Botanical Garden, Wangeningen University, Missouri Botanical Garden, University of Aarhus, Universidade de Évora, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Real Jardín Botánico, University of Helsinki, etc.

Follow us:  

rubeng.mateo@gmail.com
ruben.garciamateo[@]unil.ch

 

From 1st November 2016:
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
ETSI Montes, Forestal y del Medio Natural
Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040
Spain.