Evolution and Ecology of Neotropical Mammals

Luis Norberto Parra-Sánchez

He is a Geological engineer with expertise in Stratigraphy and Ph.D. in Biology from National University of Colombia. He is an Associate Professor at National University of Colombia, Medellín.

Contact: lnparra@unal.edu.co

Marcelo F. Tejedor

Is a Doctor in Natural Sciences with an emphasis in paleontology at National University of La Plata, Argentina. He is an independent researcher in CONICET (Council of Scientific and Technical Research, Argentina), an Evolution professor at National University of Patagonia “San Juan Bosco", in Trelew, Chubut Province, Argentina. Lines of interest: Systematics, evolution and paleobiogeography of the South American fossil primates.

Contact: tejedor@cenpat.edu.car

Edmon Castell

Castell is a geographer and museologist, he obtained in 1994 a degree in Human Geography. In 1998, he focused his training on the management of cultural heritage in a Master in Museum Studies from Barcelona University (UB). He began in the field of museology operating as a documentalist in the network of museums in the metropolitan area of Barcelona and as a researcher at the Department of Teaching in Social Sciences at the UB. In 1998 he promoted the campaign to preserve the “historical sites of the Battle of the Ebro".

In 2001, he promoted the foundation of the “Museum of the Wind”, an interdisciplinary museum including Geography, History and Anthropology. In Colombia since 2003, he served as a museologist at the Museum of Urban Development of the District of Bogotá, in the Arauca government office, in the Museum of Colonial Art, and the National Library of the Ministry of Culture of Colombia.

Since 2007 he was an adviser to the Vice Rector of Headquarters of the Colombian National University where he was responsible for the development, design and management of Heritage and Museums System (2007-2012). From 2012 to 2015 he served as director of the Department of Museums, and Cultural Heritage in National University Bogotá Campus assuming investment projects such as "Design and implementation of a system of Heritage and Museums“, "deployment of the map system of heritage and Museums“, " “Consolidation of the heritage and Museums as an academic infrastructure” and “Valorization of the cultural landscape of the University City of Bogotá (university campus) as an adjunct to cultural governance of the University." Cultural Heritage in National University Bogotá Campus assuming investment projects as “Design and implementation of a system of Heritage and Museums “.

Currently, he works at the Faculty of Fine Arts at National University as a teacher for undergraduate and graduate students at the Institute of Aesthetic Studies, member of the base committee on the Master of Museology, Director of the Research Group in Applied Museology, and Coordinator of the node "Cultural Management and Development" of the Thinking Center of the Arts and the Cultural Heritage for the Social Agreement.

Contact: edmon.castell@gmail.com

Claudia Castillo

Is a Biologist graduated from the National University of Colombia, candidate to a Master of Conservation Biology at the University of Alberta (Edmonton, Canada); the aim of her thesis is to establish the gaps in the protection of key habitats for populations of primates across the country. Lines of interest: conservation of biodiversity; ecology of mammals, especially primates and bats; introduction of key new tools such as spatial analysis of the landscape, species distribution modeling and vulnerability analysis in planning conservation Professional experience: inventories of small mammals, studying the ecology of primates in the regions of the lower Río Caquetá and Apaporis (Colombian Amazon), implementation of environmental education workshops, training in technical field support in delineating management plans of natural resources in indigenous reservations; advisor of risk assessment in relation of climate change of mammals species distributed in the province of Alberta (Canada).

Contact: cicastil@ualberta.ca

Jaime Pinzón

He is a Biologist graduated from the National University of Colombia, Doctor in Ecology and Wildlife Management from the University of Alberta (Canada) with an emphasis on Entomology and Forest Management. Currently advances a project associated with EMEND (Ecosystem-based Management Emulating Natural Disturbances; emendproject.org) post-doctorate in the boreal forest of Alberta (Canada). Lines of interest: Ecology and conservation of spiders, sustainable forest management, community ecology, statistics.

Contact: jpinzon@ualberta.ca

Laureano González-Ruiz

Is a Doctor of the National University of La Plata 2004, currently, is an Assistant Researcher at CONICET (Council of Scientific and Technical Research, Argentina), Associate Professor of the chair "Animal Diversity II” at the National University of Patagonia (Argentina). Lines of interest: Evolution of glyptodonts and armadillos in South America, with emphasis on the faunas of Patagonia and its relationship to the current faunas.

Contact: gonzalezlaureano@yahoo.com.ar

Nelson Novo

Is a Doctor in Biology at the National University of Comahue (Argentina), his thesis was titled: "Systematics and evolution of primates platyrrhinus: The diversity of Miocene Patagonian and integration Neotropical“; Degree in Biological Sciences at the University CAECE (Buenos Aires, Argentina). Lines of interest: Primates platyrrhinus Early Miocene (20 Ma) of Patagonia, phylogenetic relationships of the group and its evolutionary radiation.

Contact: nelsonovo@gmail.com

Ilya Fabián Acosta-Pankov

He is a Biologist at the National University of Colombia with specialization in ecology of terrestrial ecosystems and zoology of mammals, a doctor candidate in Zoology of the Museum of Natural History in Sofia (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences). Lines of interest: Biodiversity conservation, ecology of mammals, especially small mammals and carnivores, problems of habitat fragmentation, and development of information systems for managing the data associated with conservation.

Contact: ilya.acosta@gmail.com