Profile Photo
Previous degree(s)
BS, Physics, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus
PhD start year
2017
Award Year
2017
Department/Unit
Physics
Research Advisor(s)
Seppe Kuehn
Description of Research
It is yet not fully understood how species in communities evolve and interact with each other to give rise to ecological structure. Understanding the underlying general principles governing communities should allow us to design, control and predict the dynamics, function and evolution of ecosystems. Currently, I’m interested in two projects: 1) finding definite, simple mathematical relationships between the concepts of robustness and evolvability in biological systems and 2) constructing and characterizing a closed ecosystem that can self-restore indefinitely. Understanding such an ecosystem may uncover the principles that govern the biosphere of Earth, which is also self-sustaining.
Email
ld6@illinois.edu
Research Area
Quantitative Ecology and Evolution