José Ricardo Paula wins prestigious post-doctoral scholarship from La Caixa Foundation

MARE researcher José Ricardo Paula has been awarded a prestigious Junior Leader grant by the “la Caixa” Foundation, as part of its program to support independent scientific careers. 

The Junior Leader fellowships aim to promote excellence in research by supporting highly qualified researchers in the areas of life and health sciences, technology, physics, engineering and mathematics. This edition of the program received 547 applications, of which only 40 were selected. Each grant, worth a total of 305,100 euros over three years, allows researchers to develop innovative projects at leading research institutions in Spain and Portugal. The grants are co-financed by the European Commission through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (Horizon 2020).

José Ricardo Paula's project focuses on the impacts of environmental changes - such as overfishing, climate change and extreme events - on coral reef ecosystems, with a special focus on the behavior of reef fish. In particular, it investigates the loss of cognitive sophistication in cleaner fish of the genus Labroides, whose cooperative interactions are essential for the health and biodiversity of reefs.

The project uses an integrated approach that combines cognitive ecology, ecological experiments and emerging technologies to develop accurate behavioral models. The initiative is also committed to promoting open science and data sharing, contributing to a deeper understanding of the responses of marine ecosystems to environmental change.

The award ceremony took place on March 18 at the CosmoCaixa Science Museum in Barcelona, where Elisa Durán, deputy director-general of the “la Caixa” Foundation, said: “These grants reaffirm our commitment to excellence in education and research, in order to build a better and healthier world based on knowledge.”

Text by Vera Sequeira