Dr. Alejandra Valdés-Uribe

I am a tropical forest ecologist working at the interface of ecosystem ecology, remote sensing, and spatial analysis. My research focuses on understanding how forest structure, environmental conditions, and landscape configuration shape ecosystem functioning in tropical forests, particularly in heterogeneous and human-modified landscapes.

I combine field measurements with satellite, UAV, and terrestrial remote sensing to investigate spatial and temporal variation in processes such as evapotranspiration, microclimate regulation, vegetation structure, and forest responses to climatic and anthropogenic disturbance. I use spatially explicit and interpretable modelling approaches, including machine learning with spatial validation and explainability, to identify the environmental and structural drivers of these patterns across scales.

A major research interest is how fragmentation and forest edges modify ecosystem functioning, including their effects on microclimate, water and energy exchange, carbon dynamics, productivity, and nutrient cycling. More broadly, I am interested in how forest structure mediates ecosystem responses to climate variability, drought, land-use change, and restoration, and how these relationships influence the resilience and functioning of tropical forest landscapes.

My work therefore integrates field ecology, remote sensing, and data-driven approaches to connect forest structure and landscape context with ecological processes, with the broader goal of improving our understanding of tropical forest functioning under environmental change.

Current projects

SAVA-BEE — A long-term biodiversity enrichment experiment in north-eastern Madagascar testing how tree species diversity and planting spacing shape restoration outcomes (project leader)

ClimReg — Investigating effects of the 2026 El Niño event on evapotranspiration across EFForTS-BEE land-use plots using drone-based thermal imagery.

Collaborations

Faculty of Geography, University of Göttingen — Ecuador project on land-use change under climate change in the Northern Ecuadorian Andes.

Courses taught

Bachelor:
Plant Ecology
Master:
Methods in Silviculture
TIF project

Interested in a Bachelor's or Master's thesis?
I'm happy to discuss potential projects. Please contact me - ideally with some initial thoughts on:
Your general topic of interest
Your preferred methodological approach (e.g., field work, modeling, literature review)

Work:

Since 2023: Research Associate University of Göttingen
2019-2021: Project Director Alianza BioCuenca Water Fund, Santander-Colombia
2018-2019: Researcher Universidad San Francisco de Quito
2013-2016: Environmental consultant for WWF, Galápagos-Ecuador

Education:

2021-2025: PhD in Forest Science and Forest Ecology, George August University of Göttingen
2016-2018: Master in Forest Science and Forest Ecology, George August University of Göttingen
2013-2016: Master in Geographic Information Systems, Salzburg University
2007-2012: Environmental Engineering, Universidad San Francisco de Quito

links:
ORCID