Profile

Cristina Branquinho holds a PhD in Ecology from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon and is a Full Professor of Ecology at the same school, currently Chair of the Department of Plant Biology. She is a member of the Center for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Change, where she is coordinator of the Thematic Line “Promoting Sustainable and Resilient Ecosystems” (12 research groups) and leader of the “Systems Ecology” research group, which aims to understand complex ecological systems and promote resilience and sustainability in the face of the challenges of the Anthropocene. She is also a member of the CHANGE Associated Laboratory, where she coordinates the Thematic Line “Ensuring the preservation and regeneration of natural resources”.

She has been a Corresponding Member of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences since 2023 and a Foreign Corresponding Member of the Royal National Academy of Pharmacy of Spain since 2016. He is a member of the General Council of the University of Lisbon. He is a member and representative of the University of Lisbon in the Network of Environmental Studies of Portuguese-speaking Countries.

She curated the 1200 m² exhibition, “Natural Variations – A journey through the landscapes of Portugal”, at the National Museum of Natural History and Science, designed to show the diversity of ecosystems in Portugal.

Her research focuses on understanding ecological patterns and the structure and functioning of ecosystems in response to different environmental changes caused by human activities, such as climate change. To this end, it uses patterns of biological diversity to diagnose, evaluate and restore ecosystems and associated services at different spatial and temporal scales, by: i) evaluating and modeling the structure and functioning of biodiversity; ii) developing, testing and screening ecological indicators at different spatial and temporal scales; iii) restoring ecosystem structure and functioning as well as associated ecosystem services.