In 2018 I graduated in Geological Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid (ICOG Award for Academic Excellence in 2018). In 2019 I finished the Interuniversity Master in Advanced Paleontology at the same university. My Master's Thesis focused on the study of the isotopic geochemistry of the Teruelian site of Corral de Lobato (Molina de Aragón). During the academic year 2018-2019 I enjoyed a university collaboration grant from the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport in the Department of Geodynamics, Stratigraphy and Paleontology of the Faculty of Geological Sciences of the Complutense University of Madrid. In 2020 I have started my PhD thesis: "Paleoenvironmental, paleoecological and paleoclimatic inferences using stable isotope geochemistry in the continental Cenozoic".
My scientific and technical interests are focused on applying stable isotope analysis to Cenozoic and modern ecosystems to characterize climatic, ecological and environmental traits. Currently, I am conducting my PhD project, which focuses on the assessment of abiotic and biotic variables based on stable isotope analyses of vertebrate fossils, specifically Cenozoic mammalian fossils (tooth enamel and bones) from Spain and Argentina.
In Spain, I carried out a multidisciplinary study (at the interplay between paleontology, biogeochemistry, sedimentology and petrology) of the fossil locality Corral de Lobato, located in the central-eastern Iberian Peninsula. The attained results allowed us to reconstruct the paleoenvironment of 7 million years ago, recording the existence of a mosaic-type ecosystem (open woodland C3-arid C3 grassland to woodland C3-mesic C3grassland) and changes in the hydrology related to paleotopography and palaeoclimatology.
In Argentina, the analysis of stable isotope on fossil mammals from the Pampean region during the Great American Biotic Interchange (Late Miocene to Late Pleistocene) has enabled us to establish a solid palaeoecological framework for this event in this region (2). The detailed multidisciplinary study of the giant ground sloth Lestodon armatus in the locality of Playa del Barco (Argentina) has allowed us to infer gregarious habits in this taxon, and the stable isotope analysis reflects a flexible diet between open C3 vegetation and mixed C3-C4 vegetation.
Recently, I started exploring the paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental conditions existing in the Pampean region during Late Pleistocene glacial-interglacial phases, analysing variability on the mammalian paleocommunities (e.g., dietary behaviour, trophic interactions), as well as reconstructing climatic factors such as precipitation, aridity rates and temperature over the Last Interglacial, the Last Glacial Maximum and post-Last Glacial Maximum. Another line of research consists on the evaluation of the predatory behaviour and prey preference of the sabre-toothed cat Smilodon by means of Bayesian mixing models.
In the future, my goals would be to analyse in detail the fauna of the Quaternary fossil sites of the Iberian Peninsula and to compare the results with those obtained in the same period in Argentina, making an inter-hemispheric comparison. IsoCamp would enable me to significantly broaden my theoretical knowledge and technical skills, which in the long run will provide me with new angles to approach future projects.