Curriculum Vitae
Ruben Heleno
My main research interest is in using complex species-interactions networks to frame important conservation problems at the
community level. Such trophic or mutualistic networks offer an holistic view-point to evaluate the causes and consequences
of disturbances, such as the impact of biological invasions or biodiversity-loss, on important ecosystem functions, particularly
seed-dispersal and pollination. A second passion is uncovering the rules guiding island colonisation and community assembling.
I'm an Associated Professor at the University of Coimbra and PI of the Community Ecology Lab (CFE-UC) since 2016. I have supervised
6 postdocs, 10 PhD students and 12 MSc students, and authored 88 SCI papers (35 as leading or senior author, including contributions
in Nature, Nature Communic., PNAS, TREE, and Ecol. Lett.. I've participated in 17 funded projects (2 as PI, 1 as co-PI) in
Galapagos, Mozambique, São Tomé, Spain, Seychelles, and Portugal, which attracted >2.6MEuros in national, Spanish, German
and European funding. I've been invited as keynote speaker in 8 large international meetings (BES, EEF, SPEA/SEO, BOU, AEET/SPECO,
EMAPI), acted as evaluator for French, Spanish, Dutch, Hungarian and European funding agencies, integrated 18 PhD juries,
20 MSc juries, reviewed for 42 ISI journals and became Associate Editor of Functional Ecology (British Ecological Society).
I'm an elected member of the Scientific Councils of my department, member of the coordination team of the Associate Laboratory
TERRA - Laboratório para a Sustentabilidade do Uso da Terra e dos Serviços dos Ecossistemas , and member of the IUCN Red List
Authority for Birds and Species Survival Commission. I'm deeply committed with science outreach, having participated in 5
TV and 3 radio shows, 6 online communication videos, several popular media articles, and demonstrating in dozens of science
engaging activities with school groups. I have participated in the organization of 5 large international congresses, with
a particular emphasis for the 1st International Symposium on Ecological Networks organized by me in Coimbra in 2013. I've
been regularly teaching on several 1st, 2nd and 3rd cycle courses since 2012, by imparting lectures on Community ecology,
Island biogeography, Ecological network analysis, and Functional ecology. I'm currently the coordinator of the Masters in
Ecology of the University of Coimbra.
Identification
Personal identification
- Full name
- Ruben Heleno
- Date of birth
- 1981/06/09
- Gender
- Male
Citation names
- Heleno, Ruben
- Ruben H. Heleno
Author identifiers
- Ciência ID
- A616-AB92-EA6D
- ORCID iD
- 0000-0002-4808-4907
- Google Scholar ID
- PR5Wrr4AAAAJ
- Researcher Id
- A-5778-2011
- Scopus Author Id
- 26326324000
Telephones
- Telephone
-
- 2392240700 Ext.: 262383 (Professional)
Addresses
- Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456, Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal (Professional)
Websites
- http://cfe.uc.pt/profile/members/14 (Professional)
Knowledge fields
- Natural sciences - Biological Sciences - Ecology
Languages
Language | Speaking | Reading | Writing | Listening | Peer-review |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Portuguese (Mother tongue) | |||||
English | Proficiency (C2) | Proficiency (C2) | Proficiency (C2) | Proficiency (C2) | |
Spanish; Castilian | Proficiency (C2) | Proficiency (C2) | Proficiency (C2) | Proficiency (C2) |
Education
Degree | Classification | |
---|---|---|
2005/01/01 - 2009/03/13
Concluded
|
Community Ecology (Doctor of Philosophy)
University of Bristol, United Kingdom
"THE IMPACT OF ALIEN PLANTS ON NATIVE BIOTA IN THE AZORES: A FOOD WEB APPROACH" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
|
no corrections |
2004
Concluded
|
Biologia (Licenciatura)
Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Ciencias e Tecnologia, Portugal
"Aplicação de ferramentas na gestão sustentada do coelho-bravo (Oryctolagus cuniculus)" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
|
16 |
Affiliation
Science
Category Host institution |
Employer | |
---|---|---|
2019/04/17 - 2020/04/16 | Principal Investigator (Research) | Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal |
Centro de Ecologia Funcional, Portugal | ||
2013/12/31 - 2018/12/30 | Contracted Researcher (Research) | Centro de Ecologia Funcional, Portugal |
2012/01/01 - 2013/12/30 | Postdoc (Research) | Centro de Ecologia Funcional, Portugal |
2010/01/01 - 2011/12/31 | Contracted Researcher (Research) | Instituto Mediterraneo de Estudios Avanzados, Spain |
Teaching in Higher Education
Category Host institution |
Employer | |
---|---|---|
2024/01/15 - Current | Associate Professor (University Teacher) | Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal |
2020/02/01 - 2024/01/14 | Assistant Professor (University Teacher) | Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Ciencias e Tecnologia, Portugal |
Others
Category Host institution |
Employer | |
---|---|---|
2009/01/01 - 2009/12/31 | Conservation officer at an environmental NGO | Liga para a Protecção da Natureza, Portugal |
Projects
Grant
Designation | Funders | |
---|---|---|
2014/03/01 - 2015/09/30 | EXPLORING BIODIVERSITY AND ECOLOGICAL NETWORKS IN GORONGOSA NATIONAL PARK - MOZAMBIQUE: A FUNCTIONAL APPROACH TO FOREST CONSERVATION
AND RESTORATION
Universidade de Coimbra Centre for Functional Ecology - Science for People & the Planet, Portugal
|
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Concluded
|
Contract
Designation | Funders | |
---|---|---|
2017/01 - Current | Spatio-temporal response patterns of ecological networks to anthropogenic stressors
Researcher
|
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Ongoing
|
2021/01/01 - 2025/12/31 | Laboratório para a Sustentabilidade do Uso da Terra e dos Serviços dos Ecossistemas
LA/P/0092/2020
Universidade de Lisboa Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Portugal
|
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Ongoing
|
2021/01/01 - 2023/12/31 | LIFE AFTER FIRE - The role of animal seed dispersal on post-fire community reassembly
PTDC/BIA-ECO/1983/2020
Researcher
Centro de Ecologia Funcional, Portugal
|
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Ongoing
|
2022/09/01 - 2023/04/30 | LIFE AFTER FIRE - The role of animal seed dispersal on post-fire community reassembly project
FCT PTDC/BIA -ECO/1983/2020
Universidade de Coimbra Centre for Functional Ecology - Science for People & the Planet, Portugal
|
Ongoing
|
2019/07/01 - 2022/12/31 | Avaliação dos padrões de biodiversidade e interações ecológicas na fauna do solo do Parque Nacional da Gorongosa Moçambique
PTDC/BIA-CBI/29672/2017
FCiênciasID Associação para a Investigação e Desenvolvimento de Ciências, Portugal
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal |
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Concluded
|
2019 - 2022 | COLCAN - The colonization history by key plant and animal species and formation of the Canarian biomes: phylogenies and seed
dispersal networks
PGC2018-101650-B-I00
Researcher
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Spain
|
Gobierno de España Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
Ongoing
|
2018/06 - 2021/05 | BatPine - Promoting the resilience of ecosystem services to climate change: a case study with pine plantations, pine processionary
moth and bats
PTDC/BIA-ECO/31731/2017
Rede de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Biologia Evolutiva, Portugal
|
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Ongoing
|
2016/07 - 2020/07 | Invader - Ferramentas INoVAdoras para Detectar Espécies invasoras e agentes de contRolo biológico
Provided by PTCRIS: PTDC/AAG-REC/4896/2014
PTDC/AAG-REC/4896/2014
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra, Portugal |
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Concluded
|
2018 - 2020 | ISLET-FOODWEBS - Effects of Global Change on small island trophic meta-networks
CGL2017-88122-P
Researcher
Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats, Spain
|
Gobierno de España Ministerio de Economía y Empresa
Ongoing
|
2019/01/01 - 2019/12/31 | Centre for Functional Ecology
UID/BIA/04004/2019
Universidade de Coimbra Centre for Functional Ecology - Science for People & the Planet, Portugal
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal |
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Concluded
|
2016/01 - 2018/12 | INVADER - INnoVative Approaches to Detect invasive spEcies and biocontRol agents
Researcher
|
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia |
2014/10 - 2018/10 | SEEDS - Closing the seed dispersal loop: How does seed dispersal affect plant population structure at the global, regional
and local scales?
Principal investigator
Centro de Ecologia Funcional, Portugal
|
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Concluded
|
2016 - 2018 | COLONIZATION - Características dispersivas: reconstrucción de la colonización de especies vegetales entre islas oceánicas
Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad
Researcher
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Spain
|
Gobierno de España Ministerio de Economía y Empresa
Concluded
|
2015 - 2017 | VERMUTIS - Importance of single and double plant-vertebrate mutualisms on islands: Double benefits, double risks?
CGL2013-44386-P
Researcher
Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats, Spain
|
Gobierno de España Ministerio de Economía y Empresa
Concluded
|
2016 - 2016 | Alien hitchhiker’s: The role of avian seed dispersal to São Tomé forest dynamics
Alien hitchhiker’s
Researcher
Fundação da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
|
Rufford Foundation
Concluded
|
2013 - 2016 | OCEIS -The colonization history in the Galapagos islands by plants: floristic, diaspore and phylogenetic analysis
CGL2012-38624-C02-01
Researcher
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Spain
|
Gobierno de España Ministerio de Economía y Empresa
Concluded
|
2013 - 2016 | SEEDS - Closing the seed dispersal loop: How does seed dispersal affect plant population structure at the global, regional
and local scales?
FP7-PEOPLE-2012-CIG-321794
Principal investigator
Centro de Ecologia Funcional, Portugal
|
European Commission
Concluded
|
2013/07/01 - 2015/11/30 | INVAsive plant species management in Portugal: from early DEtection to Remote sensing and Biocontrol of Acacia longifolia
- INVADER-B
PTDC/AAG-REC/4607/2012
Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra, Portugal
Universidade de Coimbra Centre for Functional Ecology - Science for People & the Planet, Portugal Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra Centro de Estudos de Recursos Naturais Ambiente e Sociedade, Portugal |
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Concluded
|
2013/07/01 - 2015/11/30 | Gestão de plantas INVasoras em Portugal: da prevenção à DEtecção Remota e controlo biológico de Acacia longifolia - INVADER-B
PTDC/AAG-REC/4607/2012
Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra, Portugal
Universidade de Coimbra Centre for Functional Ecology - Science for People & the Planet, Portugal Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra Centro de Estudos de Recursos Naturais Ambiente e Sociedade, Portugal |
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Concluded
|
2013/07 - 2015/06 | GORONGOSA - Exploring biodiversity and Ecological Networks in Gorongosa National Park - Mozambique: A Functional approach
to forest conservation and restoration
Researcher
|
Universidade de Coimbra
Concluded
|
2013/07 - 2015/06 | INVADER-B - INVAsive plant species management in Portugal: from early DEtection to Remote sensing and Biocontrol of Acacia
longifolia
Researcher
Centro de Ecologia Funcional, Portugal
|
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia |
2010 - 2012 | REDGAL - Redes mutualistas en las islas Galápagos: Impactos directos e indirectos de especies invasoras sobre plantas amenazadas
REDGAL
Post-doc Fellow
Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats, Spain
|
Fundación BBVA
Concluded
|
Outputs
Publications
Book chapter |
|
Conference abstract |
|
Conference poster |
|
Journal article |
|
Magazine article |
|
Other
Dataset |
|
Other output |
|
Activities
Supervision
Thesis Title Role |
Degree Subject (Type) Institution / Organization |
|
---|---|---|
2018 - Current | The role of animals in post-fire regeneration. co-supervised with Sérgio Timoteo. University of Coimbra. 2018-2019. (ongoing)
Co-supervisor
|
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
|
2019 - 2023 | Zooming in, out and beyond traditional bipartite networks: towards a new generation of more informative ecological networks
Supervisor
|
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
|
2017 - 2021 | Linking agricultural management, host-parasitoid interactions and natural pest control in Mediterranean olive farms: a molecular-based
food web approach
Co-supervisor of Sasha Vasconcelos
|
Universidade do Porto, Portugal
|
2017 - 2021 | Combining ecological networks and metabarcoding to evaluate the resilience of mountain agroforestry ecosystems to climate
change
Co-supervisor of Helena Raposeira
|
Universidade do Porto, Portugal
|
2017 - 2021 | Spatio-temporal responses of ecosystem functions to ecological restoration in the Seychelles
Co-supervisor
|
University of Exeter Centre for Ecology and Conservation, United Kingdom
|
2016 - 2020 | Disentangling the ecological impacts of Acacia longifolia and monitoring its biological control: a multi-network approach
Co-supervisor of Francisco Lopez-Nuñez
|
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
|
2018 - 2019 | Sea dispersal potential and colonization success of the Galápagos coastal flora
Co-supervisor
|
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Spain
|
2014 - 2018 | Bridging the roles of seed dispersal and plant mycorrhizal interactions as drivers of ecosystem structure and function
Co-supervisor of Marta Raquel Correia
|
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
|
2014 - 2018 | The disruption of mutualistic networks. co-supervised with Prof. Jaime Ramos. University of Coimbra. 2014-2018. (completed
Supervisor of José Miguel Nunes da Costa
|
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
|
2015 - 2017 | Testing the biotic resistance hypothesis in Portuguese vineyards
Co-supervisor
|
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
|
2015 - 2017 | The impact of introduced animals and plants on the São Tomé seed-dispersal network
Co-supervisor
|
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
|
2015 - 2016 | The dispersal of native and introduced seeds by São Tomé forest birds
Co-supervisor
|
Universidade de Lisboa Faculdade de Ciências, Portugal
|
2013 - 2016 | Consequences of monospecific alien forests on biodiversity and ecosystem function and possible strategies to minimize their
impact
Co-supervisor of Luis Pascoal da Silva
|
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
|
2013 - 2014 | Do níquel hyperaccumulator plants make good neighbours? Co-supervised with Henrique Pereira
Co-supervisor
|
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
|
2013 - 2014 | Impactos da Acacia longifolia em redes tróficas de galhas
Co-supervisor
|
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
|
2013 - 2014 | Comparative biodiversity of four native and exotic forest habitats
Co-supervisor
|
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
|
2012 - 2013 | The functioning of seed dispersal networks in a small, urban Natural reserve
Co-supervisor
|
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
|
Event organisation
Event name Type of event (Role) |
Institution / Organization | |
---|---|---|
2019 - Current | 1st Iberian Ecological Society Meeting (2019)
Congress (Member of the Scientific Committee)
|
AEET - Asociación Española de Ecología Terrestre, Spain |
2019 - Current | 10th Portuguese Ornithological Congress - SPEA (2019)
Congress (Member of the Scientific Committee)
|
Sociedade Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves, Portugal |
2016 - Current | symposium “Network approaches to island biology”, 2nd Island Biology meeting (2016)
Symposium (Co-organisor)
|
|
2015 - Current | 4th Iberian Ecological Meeting (2015)
Congress (Member of the Scientific Committee)
|
AEET - Asociación Española de Ecología Terrestre, Spain |
2014 - Current | British Ornithologists Union meeting: “Birds in the entangled bank: advances in food-web theory and practice” (2014)
Conference (Member of the Organising Committee)
|
British Ornithologists' Union, United Kingdom |
2013 - Current | 1st International Symposium on “Ecological Networks: Delving into the architecture of biodiversity (2013)
Congress (President of the Organising Committee)
|
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal |
Jury of academic degree
Topic Role |
Candidate name (Type of degree) Institution / Organization |
|
---|---|---|
2019 | Alban Mazars-Simón. “The wild in Live Project: A human/algorithm learning network to help citizen science in wildlife conservation”.
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal. 2019.
(Thesis) Main arguer
|
Alban Mazars-Simón (Master)
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
|
2018 | Beatriz da Cunha Ferreira “Interactive seed and mucillage identification of Lamiaceae in Portugal”. Supervisor: M. Fátima
Sales/Daniel Montesinos, Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal. 2018
(Thesis) Main arguer
|
Beatriz da Cunha Ferreira (Master)
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
|
2018 | Sara Beatriz Marques Mendes “Impact of habitat disturbance in pollination services of Jasione maritima”. Supervisor: Silvia
Castro/João Loureiro, Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal. 2018.
(Thesis) Main arguer
|
Sara Beatriz Marques Mendes (Master)
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
|
2018 | Vicente Martínez López, “Ecological and genetic analysis of plant-animal interactions in Mediterranean environments”. Supervisors:
Pilar de la Rúa and Francisco Robledano, Universidad de Murcia, Spain. 2018.
(Thesis) Main arguer
|
Vicente Martínez López (PhD)
Universidad de Murcia, Spain
|
2016 | Sergio Chozas Vinuesa. “Community dynamics of stabilized dune xerophytic shrubs”. Supervisors: Joaquín Hortal and Otília Correia,
University of Lisbon, Portugal. 2016
(Thesis) Main arguer
|
Sergio Chozas Vinuesa (PhD)
Fundação da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
|
2016 | "Patrones emergentes en redes de polinizacion en comunidades costeras de Baleares y Canarias". Supervisor: Anna Traveset,
Universitat de les Illes Balears, Spain. 2016
(Thesis) Main arguer
|
Rocio Castro-Urgal (PhD)
Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats, Spain
|
2015 | Cristina Tur Espinosa. “Plant-pollinator networks: incorporating individual variation and functional information”. Supervisor:
Anna Traveset, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Spain. 2015
(Thesis) Main arguer
|
Cristina Tur Espinosa (PhD)
Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats, Spain
|
2014 | • MSc jury – Rui Daniel Antunes Machado. “Diet and isotopic niche of insectivorous birds in montado and their potential role
in pest regulation”. Supervisor: Jaime Ramos, Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal. 2014
(Thesis) Main arguer
|
Rui Daniel Antunes Machado (Master)
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
|
2013 | Pedro Luis Brito Lopes “The use of two wetland habitats by Cetti’s Warbler Cettia cetti during periods of high energy outlay”.
Supervisor: Jaime Ramos, Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal. 2013.
(Thesis) Main arguer
|
Pedro Luis Brito Lopes (Master)
Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
|
2013 | Danny Rojas Martín. “Consecuencias evolutivas y ecológicas de las interacciones murciélago-planta en el Caribe insular”. Supervisor:
Luis Navarro, Universidad de Vigo
(Thesis) Main arguer
|
Danny Rojas Martín (PhD)
Universidade de Vigo, Spain
|
2012 | Beatriz Rumeu Ruiz. “Ecologiá y evolución de los cedros macaronésicos”. Supervisor: Manuel Nogales, Universidad de La Laguna
(IPNA-CSIC), Spain. 2012
(Thesis) Main arguer
|
Beatriz Rumeu Ruiz (PhD)
Universidad de La Laguna, Spain
|
2011 | MSc jury – Susana Chamorro Arias. “Patrones de visitas florales en la zona árida de cinco islas del Archipiélago de Galápagos”.
Supervisor: Anna Traveset, Universidad de las Islas Baleares (IMEDEA-CSIC), Spain. 2011.
(Thesis) Main arguer
|
Susana Chamorro Arias (Master)
Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats, Spain
|
Course / Discipline taught
Academic session | Degree Subject (Type) | Institution / Organization | |
---|---|---|---|
2020 - Current | Masters in Ecology, course coordinator | mestrado em ecologia (Mestrado) | Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal |
Evaluation committee
Activity description Role |
Institution / Organization | Funding entity | |
---|---|---|---|
2020 - Current | H2020 EU call on “Addressing wild pollinators decline and its effects on biodiversity and ecosystem services” (EASME-H2020-SC5)
2020
Evaluator
|
European Union, Belgium | |
2020 - Current | Committee for the Evaluation of Final Scientific Reports (Comissão de Avaliação dos Relatórios Científicos Finais de Projetos
IC&DT (FCT) 2019-2022
Evaluator
|
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal | |
2020 - Current | External project evaluator for the Hungarian Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFIH)
Evaluator
|
Nemzeti Kutatási Fejlesztési és Innovációs Hivatal | |
2016 - Current | Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (Vice-Chair) | European Commission, Belgium | |
2013 - Current | External project evaluator for the Spanish Ministerío de Economia y Competitividad
Evaluator
|
Gobierno de España Ministerio de Economía y Empresa, Spain | |
2016 - 2016 | External project evaluator for the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NOW) | Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Netherlands | |
2014 - 2015 | External project evaluator for the French Agence Nationale de la Recherché (ANR) 2014, 2015
Evaluator
|
Agence nationale de la recherche, France |
Distinctions
Other distinction
2017 | Success Stories 2017 (Best Marie Currie projects) |
2016 | ANICT Master Grants 2015/2016. Grant for a master student |
2016 | Transition to the 2nd evaluation step of the European Research Council Starting Grants 2016
European Research Council, Belgium
|
2015 | best BBVA funded project |
2013 | Best paper in Integrative Zoology (2011-2013) |
2008 | High honour mention for best oral presentation (2008) |