The knowledge I have acquired over the years concerns mainly evolutionary biology and conservation genetics through the study of population ecology, phylogeography, biogeography and taxonomy. I ultimately address how different selection pressures and adaptation to the environment have affected species, their past and present distributions and their population structures. I am particularly interested in systematics of reptile and amphibian species complexes (cryptic species) and understanding the evolutionary processes involved. Overall I am keen to understand the distribution of species in relation to historical topographical and environmental changes. I assess how speciation patterns are influenced through colonization capability. I use biogeography, phylogenetics and systematics to address these questions through a multidisciplinary approach (genetics, morphology, ethology, ecology). Besides my phylogenetic research, I am also interested in population genetics, through the use of microsatellites, to examine gene flow and connectivity between populations. Overall I am keen to link such findings to conservation, ultimately contributing to future conservation management and its implementation. Most of my work has focused on phylogeography and conservation genetics; at Glasgow University, at Doñana Biological Research Station (CSIC), at CIBIO/InBIO and at NIE (National Institute of Ecology, South Korea). At all these posts I have been working for Biodiversity and Conservation Departments. My publications have mostly focused on conservation purposes (using molecular work as a tool). Some of my publications have been pivotal to change the protection status of several cryptic species. I have worked on a wide variety of model species, ranging from diverse geographical regions such as the Eastern Caribbean (Trinidad and Tobago, Martinique), Venezuela, Morocco, South Korea, China, the Iberian Peninsula, Kenya, Italy, New Caledonia and United Kingdom. These studies include, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, birds, fresh-water fish, scorpions, social insects, parasites, fungi and viruses. I have organized, lead and published as first and corresponding author in multiple high ranked journals, ranging form invertebrates to vertebrates. It is therefore that I feel that I have a particular ease to understand contrasting evolutionary model systems, ranging from diverse geographical areas and taxa. I have lead numerous scientific expeditions, and I have been a scientific advisor in Trinidad and Tobago for Glasgow University students from 2002-2004 (expeditions of several months). I have experience supervising, mentoring and assessing students in the field for their undergraduate honours projects and Masters research projects. I have conducted fieldwork in Morocco (2009-2012), as well as in southern and northern Spain (2009-2013), the Caribbean (Martinique, three expeditions), Italy (2006-2009), and South Korea (2015). At present I am leading numerous new projects (many under completion) and ready for submission as first and corresponding author, having collaborations with groups from the USA, South America, Africa, Asia and Europe. To the best of my knowledge I am the only researcher at present working consistently on the systematics, taxonomy and conservation genetics of reptiles and amphibians in The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela. For this, I have created a very strong network with local researchers. These countries are hotspots with a spectacular biodiversity and species richness. However, the current unstable political and economic situation in the region has prevented the formation of new scientist that implement molecular tools, and furthermore, there are no molecular facilities. Because of this I have coordinated the shipment of many valuable samples ready for sequencing at CIBIO/InBIO, my host institution.