Luis Daniel Prada Salcedo

Luis Daniel Prada Salcedo is a Postdoc at the Department of Soil Ecology within the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ in Germany. His research focuses on microbial molecular ecology, investigating interactions between microorganisms and terrestrial ecosystems using advanced bioinformatics and statistical methods.

• PhD (2016-2021) in Soil microbial assembly and their ecosystem functions associated to tree diversity in European forests from Leipzig University.
• M.Sc. (2011-2013) in Microbiology from Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, with thesis on organic acids causing phosphorus solubilization by actinomycetes.
• B.Sc. (2008) in Industrial Microbiology from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá.

His research interests span microbial ecology, soil biodiversity, and climate change impacts on terrestrial ecosystems. He studies mechanisms of bacterial and fungal communities supporting ecosystem functionality through molecular and computational approaches.

Recent work involves projects like Biodiversity Exploratories, PhytOakmeter, and COLBIOSOILS, analyzing microbial responses to tree diversity, soil depth, and climate stressors. Publications highlight trends in soil macrofauna, clonal oak resilience, and cadmium dynamics under climate change.

He has contributed to interdisciplinary teams at UFZ and collaborated with institutions like iDiv, Ohio State University, and Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Teaching experience includes mycology, microbiology, and biotechnology at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana.

Contact: luis.salcedo@ufz.de