Jordi Martínez Vilalta

Former honorary research fellow at the University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom). He has published some 200 scientific articles and is co-author of two books: an ecology textbook (Ecología con números, Lynx Edicions, 2006) and a book about global change (Un planeta a la deriva, RBA La Magrana, 2011). His research has been considered high impact (Highly Cited, Clarivate Analytics) since 2018, and was awarded ICREA Academia distinctions in 2014 and 2020.

His research is directed at the overlap of ecology and Earth sciences, and seeks to better understand the functioning of the Earth’s ecosystems to improve our ability to predict their response to global change. To this end he combines observational, experimental and modelling approaches, and, increasingly, the use of large databases. His main lines of research include the economy and transport of water and carbon in plants; the response of forests to environmental changes, highlighting the impact of drought in a context of climate change; the distribution and variability of the functional features of plants, and their use to understand and predict the functioning and dynamics of vegetation, including the provision of ecosystemic services. He recently developed a line aimed at promoting collaborations between art and science, within the framework of the CREAF’s Ecotons collective.