Competitive Research Projects
As a PI
2025-2026. Development of behaviour-based tools to reduce damage caused by rabbits to agriculture
2024-2025. Development and application of behavior-based tools to reduce the predation of sea turtle nests with Pilar Santidrian-Tomillo (The Leatherback Trust)
2024~ Uncovering the use of bird scent for prey detection by carnivorous predators
As a Co-PI
2025~ Conditioned food aversion and wild boar management applications
with Yifu Wang (The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzen) and Cécile Sarabian (University of Toulouse)
2022-2024. Application of innovative tools to reduce the damage caused by wolf on the livestock of Castilla-La Mancha with Pablo Ferreras and Rafael Mateo (Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC, UCLM-CSIC-JCCM))
As a Co-I
2025-2028. Once bitten, twice shy: teaching foxes not to eat turtle eggs with Liggia Pizzato (La Trobe University, Australia)
2025-2028. Led by the nose – Chemical Camouflage as a non-lethal method to prevent predation in ground-nesting birds with Nandine Shubert (German Association for Landscape Conservation, DVL)
2024-2027. Determining the role that carrion plays in rural abandonment scenarios (passive rewilding) in biodiversity conservation from a One Health perspective with José Jiménez (Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC) and Antoni Margalida (Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología, IPE)
2024-2026. The role of wild ungulates and predictable food sources in the use of space and feeding of carrion birds: a multidisciplinary approach with Antoni Margalida (Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología, IPE)
2024-2026. Design of a scientific infrastructure to monitor the biodiversity of Sierra Morena forests at different spatial scales with José Luis Quero and Diego Nieto (University of Córdoba)
2023-2025. Using Conditioned Food Aversion (CFA) to mitigate human-brown bear conflict in Yushu Prefecture, Qinghai Province with Lingyun Xiao (Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University), Yifu Wang (University of Hong Kong) and Cécile Sarabian (University of Toulouse)
2023-2026. Protecting endangered prey by deceiving predators: from predator behavior to predator–prey population dynamics with Vesa Selonen (University of Turku), Toni Laaksonen (University of Turku) and Andreas Lindén (Natural Resources Institute Finland, Luke)
2020-2021. To remove or to deceive – how to reduce alien predation in wetlands? with Toni Laaksonen and Vesa Selonen (University of Turku)
2020-2023. Ecological and social implications of hunting for scavengers birds with Antoni Margalida (Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología, IPE) and Joaquim Nadal (University of Lleida)
2019-2022. Effect of changes in the extensive livestock practices in scavengers birds in the Pyrenees with Antoni Margalida (Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC)
2015-2019. Developing strategies against the poisoning of wildlife by controlling predation by conditioned chemical aversion with Rafael Mateo and Pablo Ferreras (Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC)
2011-2014. Factors for the coexistence of mesocarnivores in National Parks of Mediterranean climate with Pablo Ferreras and Francisco Díaz-Ruiz (Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC)
Technology/Knowledge transfer contracts
As a PI
2025-2026. Evaluation of the effectiveness of aversive and repellent substances to reduce damage caused to agriculture by the wild rabbit with Carlos Rouco (University of Seville)
2023-2024. Experimental study on chemical camouflage to reduce the predation rate of protected species
2023-2024. Development of chemical camouflage as a tool to reduce predation of the Cantabrian capercaillie
2022. Design of innovative non-lethal tools to reduce predation of the Pyrenean capercaillie
As a Co-PI
2023-2025. Application of innovative techniques tending to reduce damages caused by the wolf in extensive livestock of La Rioja with Pablo Ferreras and Rafael Mateo (Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC)
2024. Bases for the compatibility of aeronautical operations and biodiversity conservation: Evaluation of the effects of motorless flight in protected areas with Antoni Margalida (Intituto Pirenaico de Ecología, IPE)
2021-2022. Preliminary work for the application of innovative techniques aimed at reducing the damage caused by wolves in extensive livestock farming in La Rioja with Pablo Ferreras and Rafael Mateo (Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC)
2020-2021. Guidance for restrictions on aeronautical operations in protected areas with Antoni Margalida (Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC)
Stays in public R&D centers
Entity: The Leatherback Trust. City of entity: Tamarindo (Costa Rica). Start-End date: November 2024 – February 2025 (3 months). Funding entity: Spanish Ministry of Universities. Name of program: Postdoctoral mobility Grants José Castillejo 2023. Responsible researcher: Pilar Santidrian-Tomillo
Entity: Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos (CIBIO-InBIO/Universidade do Porto). City of entity: Vairão (Portugal). Start-End date: January – October 2024 (10 months). Funding entity: Spanish Ministry of Universities. Name of program: Postdoctoral mobility Grants José Castillejo 2022 (only three first months). Responsible researcher: Nuno Santos
Entity: Landcare Research. City of entity: Alexandra (New Zealand). Start-End date: September – December 2018 . Funding entity: Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness. Name of program: Doctoral mobility grants for the realization of short stays in Research centers 2017. Responsible researcher: Grant Norbury.
Entity: Research Unit of Biodiversity (UMIB). City of entity: Mieres (Spain). Start-End date: September – December 2017. Funding entity: Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness. Name of program: Predoctoral mobility grants for the realization of short stays in Research centers 2016. Responsible researcher: José Vicente López-Bao.
Entity: Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo. City of entity: Pachuca de Soto (Mexico). Start-End date: June 2014 – December 2014. Funding entity: Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT). Name of program: CONACYT postgraduate grants program. Responsible researcher: Gerardo Sanchez-Rojas
Entity: Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo (UAEH). City of entity: Tulancingo de Bravo (Mexico). Start-End date: January 2011 – June 2011. Funding entity: Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo. Name of program: UAEH international mobility program. Responsible researcher: José Justo Mateo-Sánchez
Entity: Hedmark University College. City of entity: Evenstad (Norway). Start-End date: January 2010 – July 2010. Funding entity: Agencia de Gestión de Ayudas Universitarias y de Investigación (AGAUR). Name of program: International mobility program. Responsible researcher: Barbara Zimmerman.
Scientific reviewer
Reviewer for: Journal of Ornithology, European Journal of Wildlife Research, Chronica Naturae, Population Ecology, Behavioural Processes, International Journal of Psychological Research, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Ecologia Austral, Galemys-Spanish Journal of Mammalogy, Wildlife Research, Mammal Research, Mammalian Biology, Animal Conservation, Conservation Science and Practice, STOTEN, Journal of Wildlife management, Frontiers in Conservation Science, Ecological Indicators.
Member of the committee for projects proposals review at Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement Research (Kuwait, February, October 2020 and May 2022).
Journal Editorial board member
Member of the editorial board of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Reviewer editor for Frontiers in Conservation Science, Animal Conservation section
Scientific advice
Advice and collaboration in the Group of Experts for the development of intervention protocols with bears in the Pyrenees. Year 2019. Ministry for the Ecological transition.
Scientific advisor to establish the aeronautical new regulation on protected areas in Spain. Year 2020. For the Ministry for the Ecological Transition, Agencia Española de Seguridad Aérea and the Regional Authorities.








