Luís Cunha MSc PhD

I am a molecular ecologist specialized in invertebrate biology, currently working as a Lecturer in Ecology at the University of South Wales.  I have been actively involved in several NGS-based genomic and transcriptomic projects to assemble and annotate several invertebrate genomes. I am also involved in projects related to evolutionary ecology, phylogenetics and population genetics (and genomics), including  of metazoan organisms living in extreme environments. I am particularly amazed by the volcanic “version” of Pontoscolex corethrurus, which became the main subject of study during my PhD research project. My current research projects focus on the study of soil biodiversity in historical anthropogenic ecosystems, in particular, looking at the Amazonian Dark Earth. I am also interested in using animals closely associated with human activity, in particular, earthworms, to infer ancient human movements across South America.