Personal Statement Bergen University

My commitment to science arises in an era of unparalleled biodiversity loss and environmental
degradation worldwide. I am broadly interested in how anthropological stressors alter natural

systems across different scales and levels of ecological organization and how to tackle and curve
down the associated devastating biodiversity losses. I firmly believe that joining the 'Alpine
macroecology and global change biogeography related to biodiversity' doctoral position at Bergen
University would be an unparalleled opportunity for me to build a career as a world-class
researcher.
In 2014, I conducted my first independent research, as part of my bachelor’s thesis, studying an

insect species novel to the Paramo ecosystem of Colombia, my native country. Oidaematophorus
espeletiae had presumably spilled over from nearby crops and was spreading rapidly throughout
natural landscapes. On my own, I figured out a preliminary model explaining the geographic range
expansion of this insect species, based on its feeding patterns and behavior coupled with
environmental changes. On top of learning how to do research and run field camp surveys, this
experience allowed me to contribute to ongoing efforts to understand complex interactions
between invasive species and native plant communities. I also learned to collaborate with
environmental authorities, research colleagues, and communal leaders in that process.
After this encouraging experience, I decided to continue my academic career in Ecology by

pursuing a master’s degree in the top program in Mexico. With an eagerness to acquire the
necessary technical skills to make the most of my studies, I enrolled in online math and
programming courses, which turned out to be worthwhile for my career in the long term.
My Master's thesis focused on the relationship between the distribution of invasive species and
land use in Mexico using niche modeling. This project required extensive computational expertise,
and it allowed me to gain skills in Geographical Information Systems, programming in R, and data
analysis autonomously. The main finding of this work was that the geographical distribution of
these species in Mexico is delineated by climatic variables, but human disturbance is crucial for its
introduction, establishment, and early spread. I also had the incredible opportunity to collaborate
with Prof. Town Peterson at Kansas University co-authoring a paper in a top peer-reviewed journal
during my master’s. This experience not only let me conduct innovative studies but also set a
benchmark of what I can expect in a vibrant, inquiring, and challenging research community.
My master’s project findings directly informed policy when I joined the team in charge of
developing the Invasive Species Management Plans of Mexican Protected Natural Areas. Among
the practical tools I was equipped with, the Early Detection and Rapid Response systems
impressed me with their reliance on a combination of empirical and theoretical research methods.
I was fascinated by being able to witness how our analysis contributed directly to reducing the
advance of invasive species in both conservation areas and surrounding agricultural landscapes.
This three-year-long exposition affirmed my enthusiasm and determination to pursue a doctoral
degree.
Currently, I am an assistant researcher at Humboldt Institute. Humboldt is the institution in charge

to carry out scientific research on the biodiversity of Colombia and groups a large community of
researchers committed to understanding, protecting, and conserving. In this position, I have
participated in multiple valuable environmental research and planning projects. On top of
different and very exciting research in progress, one of them caught my curiosity and thoughts. I
have been linked to constructing technical inputs for the Colombian spatial definition of the
Paramo ecosystem. Despite the fact, that Colombia is a tropical country, this high mountain and
nearly alpine ecosystem is inside the core of our society in several ways because of the
uncountable ecosystem services that provide. This project focuses on finding the spatial
distribution and extent of the Paramo ecosystem at a fine scale through the bioclimatic
characterization of the treeline border zone. In this way, the methodological approximation
reconstructs the ecosystem structure under current prevalent climatic conditions even those that
have been altered by human means. Although the target of the project is fulfilled, I find it curious
how we ignore the temporal and spatial dynamics of the ecosystem as those would probably turn
into basic and necessary knowledge to understand the current and future distribution and
management of the ecosystem and its biodiversity. For example, the Paramo ecosystem has been
exposed to global change during the last 3 million years which has allowed the intermittent
connection between nowadays sky islands, this varying connected landscape has originated
vegetation complexes that identify every patch of the ecosystem in the country. This particular set
of plants and dynamics coupled with environmental change are let out from the ongoing scheme
of conservation.
At Bergen, I am quite excited about the doctoral position offered at the Environmental Change
Research Group. The lab focuses on not only how the patterns of diversity and abundance arise,
but also how those current patterns are coupled with events in the past, which is very much in line
with my own. The integrated approach applied in the EECRG lab, macroecology, biogeography,
and spatial ecology is very attractive to me, as I am keen to pursue a graduate project that further
develops my existing analytical skills, as well as challenges me to develop new ones. In terms of
the project, you might think that my interests are very local and biased to only one nearly alpine
ecosystem in my native country. However, I can perceive that this project is well fitted for me as i)
I want to extend my knowledge and skills to explore alpine biomes around the world, either these
analytics tools or field camp abilities, and ii) I expect to conduct analysis at different scales, from
world to regional and local realms and find best approximations to the distribution and dynamics
of the biome and improve the existent ones ensembling local understanding with global (i.e.,
Testolin et al, 2020 and Sarmiento et al, 2015 for alpine biomes at tropical mountains).
Above all, I have a fervent desire to ensure that during my Ph.D. and beyond, I am contributing to
teaching and research that can foster and inform conservation and public policy efforts playing a
crucial role in protecting imperiled natural systems. Besides, in the long run, I envision myself
being a leader of institutions and academic programs specializing in global change ecology in Latin
America to tackle pressing environmental and socio-economic concerns in the region. I am certain
that the University of Bergen is the perfect place for me to achieve this goal.

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My commitment to science arises in an era of unparalleled biodiversity loss and environmental

degradation worldwide. I am broadly interested in how anthropological stressors alter natural

In 2014, I conducted my first independent research, as part of my bachelor’s thesis, studying an

After this encouraging experience, I decided to continue my academic career in Ecology by

Currently, I am an assistant researcher at Humboldt Institute. Humboldt is the institution in charge

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