Henry Arenas-Castro, Ph.D.
Cluster 3 – The Genomic Basis of Climate Resiliency
Research description: Henry is an evolutionary geneticist interested in studying the processes that create and maintain biodiversity. Originally from Colombia, he completed his PhD at the University of Queensland, Australia, where he investigated the evolution of mate choice in plants. Henry has also studied the consequences of language barriers in science.
Fellowship dates: August 2023 - July 2025
David Herrera, Ph.D.
Cluster 4 – Mechanisms and Trajectories of Post-Disturbance Recovery in Tropical Forests
Research description: David’s research is focused on understanding how tropical trees survive the stresses of environmental change and the role of carbon storage dynamics in their ability to survive. In recent years, he has been conducting field experiments and measuring tree traits related to carbon dynamics mainly in Brazil.
Fellowship dates: March 2024 - February 2026
Mareli Sanchez-Julia, Ph.D.
Cluster 4 – Mechanisms and Trajectories of Post-Disturbance Recovery in Tropical Forests
Research description: Mareli uses field-based and experimental methods to explore how soil biochemistry and plant functional traits influence the composition of plant-symbiotic fungi in lowland tropical forests. She also researches that trees use to overcome nutrient limitation and the factors that mediate plant carbon allocation to belowground resource acquisition.
Fellowship dates: May 2024 - April 2026
Phoebe Mankiewicz Ledins, Ph.D.
Cluster 5 – Linking the built environment, greenspace, energy, climate, and health
Research description: Phoebe’s research focuses on designing, prototyping, and testing building-integrated systems that pull air through plants and root-associated microbial ecosystems. Her research aims to demonstrate how such systems might benefit urban carbon footprints and human health outcomes by reducing pollutant exposures, diversifying local microbiomes, and providing opportunities for urban agriculture.
Fellowship dates: July 2024 - June 2026
Tian Ma, Ph.D.
Cluster 5 – Linking the built environment, greenspace, energy, climate, and health
Research description: Tian’s research focuses on vector-borne diseases, spatial epidemiology, climate change, and infectious diseases modelling, with a particular emphasis on mapping spatial-temporal patterns of infectious diseases, identifying driving factors behind them, and exploring the spatiotemporal variation of infectious diseases in response to global changes.
Fellowship dates: October 2024 - September 2026
Saúl Domínguez Guerrero, Ph.D.
Cluster 6 – Predicting ectotherm responses to climate warming: integrating behavior, physiology, genomics, and life history in amphibians and reptiles
Research description: Saúl’s research focuses on understanding the patterns and processes of thermal adaptation in ectothermic animals. His work centers on two major themes: (1) the evolution of live birth as a driver of phenotypic diversification of squamates in cold habitats and (2) the behavioral and physiological responses of ectotherms to climate warming.
Fellowship dates: July 2024 - June 2026
Dylan Padilla Perez, Ph.D.
Cluster 6 – Predicting ectotherm responses to climate warming: integrating behavior, physiology, genomics, and life history in amphibians and reptiles
Research description: Dylan’s research examines the evolution of life history among vertebrates and invertebrates. He employs phylogenetic comparative methods and population genetic tools to formulate hypotheses and draw broad conclusions applicable to a wide range of taxa.
Fellowship dates: January 2025 - December 2026
