Fernando Colchero

Fernando Colchero is a Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, leading the Statistical Demography Group. Previously, he held academic roles including Associate Professor (2016-2024) and Assistant Professor (2008-2012) at the University of Southern Denmark, and Research Scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (2013-2016). His research focuses on developing statistical methods for demographic analysis, including R packages like BaSTA and BaFTA, applied to primates, wildlife conservation, and aging studies.

Key research interests include population dynamics, ageing mechanisms, and conservation demography. He combines mathematical modeling with empirical data to address ecological and evolutionary questions. Notable contributions include studies on jaguar habitat fragmentation, primate longevity, and the application of zoo/aquarium data for aging research.

Publications highlight work on demographic buffering in endangered species, senescence patterns across taxa, and the integration of in-situ/ex-situ conservation strategies. His work has earned recognition, including the Cozzarelli Prize (2016) for impactful interdisciplinary research. Teaching experience spans graduate courses in statistical modeling and undergraduate service teaching in biology/pharmacy programs.