Luís Lima Valente

Luís Lima Valente is an Associate Professor at the University of Groningen and Senior Researcher at Naturalis Biodiversity Center. His work focuses on island biogeography, phylogenetics, and biodiversity dynamics. He leads the Biodiversity Hotspots group at Naturalis and co-leads the Theoretical & Evolutionary Community Ecology group at GELIFES. His research combines fieldwork, genomic data, and computational modeling to study evolutionary processes in island and continental ecosystems.

• Education: PhD in Evolutionary Biology (2010, Royal Botanic Gardens Madrid), MSc in Ecology, Evolution & Conservation (2006, Imperial College London), BSc in Biology (2005, University College London).
• Research Interests: Island biodiversity patterns, historical biogeography, phylogenetic methods, and the interplay between climate and evolutionary processes.

Key projects include the DAISIE software package for island biogeography analysis and studies on radiations of island birds/plants. He has advised over 30 PhD/MSc students and postdocs, focusing on island systems like the Canaries, Mascarenes, and Caribbean.

• Awards: Marie Curie Fellowship (2011-2013), Humboldt Fellowship (2013-2016), Martin Temminck Fellowship (current).

His lab actively collaborates globally, with fieldwork in Bioko, Mauritius, and the Azores. Current focuses include mountain plant radiations and the impact of climate oscillations on biodiversity.