Aldina Franco

Aldina Franco is Associate Professor in Ecology and Global Environmental Change at the School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia (UEA). She is a member of the Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, Environmental Biology, and ClimateUEA. She has been at UEA since 2009, progressing from Lecturer to her current role, and serves as Director of the International Master in Applied Ecology and Chair of Postgraduate Taught Programmes. She is actively accepting PhD students and supervising a diverse, international research group.

• PhD in Conservation Biology, UEA
• MSc in Maths Applied to Biological Sciences, University of Lisbon
• MSci in Biology with Ecology, University of Lisbon

Her research focuses on movement ecology, biogeography, and ecological responses to global change. She investigates animal migration, dispersal, and behavioral responses to climate change and anthropogenic pressures. Her group develops advanced animal tracking technologies (e.g., GSM, LoRa) and applies niche modeling to inform conservation. Key research areas include climate impacts on biodiversity, design of protected areas, and conservation of migratory species.

Her recent publications (2023–2025) reflect a strong focus on climate change impacts on animal movement, conservation technology, and biodiversity monitoring. Articles cover thermal sensitivity in insects, bird migration dynamics, sensor development for wildlife tracking, and multi-threat vulnerability assessments for migratory birds. There is a clear trend toward interdisciplinary research integrating ecology, technology, and policy.

• Marsh Award for Ornithology (2023)
• Scientific Committee LIFE Connect Ricotí (2022)

Aldina Franco leads and co-leads multiple NERC and internationally funded projects, including research on heatwave impacts, landslide monitoring, and bird migration. She supervises numerous PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, many from Portugal and funded by FCT. She collaborates with NGOs such as BTO, BirdLife International, and SPEA, and institutions in the UK, Portugal, and the USA. She coordinates the Movetech Telemetry project, developing state-of-the-art tracking devices in collaboration with BTO and the University of Porto. Her work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to climate action and life on land.