Dr. Laura Méndez

I am an evolutionary biologist interested in using spatial and genomic data to study the macro-ecological and micro-evolutionary processes that shape biodiversity in a changing world. I particularly enjoy linking species interactions, functional traits, and phylogenies to assess how these affect biodiversity patterns, evolutionary changes, and extinctions in time and space. Within my current Flexpool project (Patterns and DRivers of ecological marginality in regional plant Extinctions – PaDRE) I aim to disentangle to what extent ecological niche, trait and phylogenetic components predict species extinctions in different parts of species ranges. To achieve this, we will integrate national and regional Red Lists of vascular plants with plant trait data, phylogenies, and other relevant spatially explicit data. This approach will allow us to provide deeper insights into the complex drivers of ongoing regional plant extinctions. In this project I work in close collaboration with Dr. Sonja Knapp (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ, Halle), Dr. Erik Welk (Martin Luther University, Halle) and Dr. Marten Winter (Head of sDiv, iDiv, Leipzig), among other experts in the field.

Jan 2024 – Present      Post-Doctoral Researcher: Flexpool project PaDRE - Patterns and DRivers of ecological marginality in regional plant Extinctions at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ, Halle. Co-PIs: Dr. Sonja Knapp, Dr. Marten Winter and Dr. Erik Welk.

Sep 2018 – Oct 2023   Doctoral Researcher: “Signatures of the megafrugivore extinction on palms with large fruits in Madagascar”, at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Germany (University of Leipzig). Supervisors: Dr. Renske E. Onstein and Prof. Dr. Alexandra N. Müllner-Riehl.

Oct 2016 - Oct 2017    M.Sc. in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology: “Genetic structure and diversity of the Iberian populations of the freshwater blenny Salaria fluviatilis (Asso, 1801) and its conservation implications”, at the Pablo de Olavide University, Sevilla, Spain. Master thesis at the Natural History Museum of Madrid in the Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology group. Supervisors: Dr. Anabel Perdices and Dr. Annie Machordom.

Jan 2016 -Sep 2016     Research assistant in the Natural History Museum of Madrid in the Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology group. Collaborators: Dr. Annie Machordom, Dr. Jaime Bosch, Iván Acevedo.

Aug 2015 - Dec 2015   Research assistant in the University of South-East Norway, Bø i Telemark, Norway. Collaborator: Dr. Andrew Jenkins.

Sep 2009 - July 2015   B.Sc. in Biology, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain. Bachelor Thesis: “How phytomining makes phytoremediation of heavy metals a profitable process”. Supervisor: Dr. Andrew Jenkins.