The Biodiversity Data Lab
Who We Are
Current Members
Tobias Andermann
Computational Biologist & Group Leader, Assistant Professor
I am a biodiversity researcher dedicated to providing data and computational tools for combatting the global biodiversity crisis. I am working in the intersection of molecular biology, spatial ecology, and machine learning, with the mission to provide a more comprehensive view on the distribution of biodiversity, including hidden diversity of inconspicuous and even undescribed species through the use of environmental DNA.
Adrian Baggström
Nature Geographer, PhD student
I am a PhD student focusing on the fields of biodiversity, geomatics, remote sensing and machine learning. My interest is to research the possibilities of assessing biodiversity through remote sensing techniques such as spectral imagery, lidar and synthetic aperture radar. By combining these techniques with existing geospatial data and deep learning I aim to develop tools that contribute to the monitoring of biodiversity at different scales.
Monica Guilera Recoder
Ecologist, PhD student
My career started in Barcelona where I received my bachelor's degree in Environmental Biology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
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After that, I decided to go abroad to gain more knowledge of the mycology field and studied for my master's in Ecology and Conservation here at Uppsala University. For my master's thesis, I worked with fungal speciation and genetics. Later on, I went to Oslo for an internship in mycology and luckily had the opportunity to come back to Uppsala and start my Ph.D.
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My Ph.D. goal is to optimize existing environmental DNA fieldwork sampling methodologies to assess fungal and insect biodiversity after disturbances in a more efficient way. As a disturbance, we will focus on which is the impact caused by forestry on fungal and insect biodiversity.
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Beilun Zhao
Environmental Biologist, Postdoc
As an environmental biological researcher, my primary objective is to expand our understanding of spatial and temporal biodiversity to effectively contribute to natural conservation efforts. My research focuses on investigating the correlation between species' ecological niches and the state of environmental DNA (eDNA) in various ecosystems. By exploring this connection, I aim to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of eDNA-based methods in biodiversity monitoring, spanning both aquatic and terrestrial environments.
Jakob Nyström
Data Scientist, PhD student
The ultimate goal of my research is to provide policymakers and companies with data and tools to make better decisions for nature and biodiversity. My research focuses on quantifying natural and anthropogenic drivers of biodiversity patterns and developing causal and predictive models for biodiversity and ecosystem integrity, across taxonomic and geographical scales. This integrates various biodiversity measurement types (traditional surveys, eDNA and others) with remote sensing data and computational methods such as Bayesian hierarchical models and deep learning. Another key aspect in my research is how to aggregate biodiversity measurements into site- and ecosystem-level metrics in ways that provide accurate, relevant and timely insights.
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Leveraging my background in data science consulting from the private sector, I aim to combine scientific insights and understanding of how businesses operate to develop the foundational data products and tools for incorporating biodiversity into core decision processes.
Alice Satre
Environmental biologist, Intern
I am a Master student in life and environmental science. My interests are mainly focused on forestry, ecology and biodiversity conservation. I am taking a gap year to be able to gain experience and to learn how to better understand and protect biodiversity, starting by an internship at the Biodiversity Data Lab of Uppsala University.
Previous Members
Shuangshuang Wang
Forensic microbiologist, PhD student
As a forensic microbiological researcher, I do a lot of work on the human microbiome and human DNA. Thanks to this exchange opportunity, I have a chance to do some research on environmental microbiology. My current research focuses on combing the forensic genetic marker and environmental DNA to explore the extends of individual fungal mycelia. Our research hopes to reveal the distribution patterns of fungi in forests, including the number of individuals inferred from environmental samples.
Filipe Almeida
Evolutionary Biologist, Master student
I am a master's student in the Erasmus Mundus Programme in Evolutionary Biology (MEME). My main research interests lie in applying and developing computational methods to support biodiversity conservation efforts. At present, my focus is on a project aimed at predicting the conservation status of fungal species in Sweden using machine learning techniques. We aim to provide conservation status for species never evaluated before, providing information that will aid biodiversity conservation.
