Journal of Applied Ecology offers a two‑year mentoring scheme that helps early career researchers build practical experience as Associate Editors. Each mentee works closely with a Senior Editor and benefits from ongoing support from the Editorial Office. By handling journal submissions, mentees get a front‑row view of peer review and academic publishing more broadly.
We’re excited to introduce seven new Associate Editor mentees who are joining our team. Read on to learn more about them!
Nicolás Velasco Saragoni
Universidad de las Américas
Nicolás is a plant ecologist specializing in restoration ecology, biogeography, and biodiversity patterns, with a particular focus on Mediterranean ecosystems of central Chile and drylands of South America. His research integrates field ecology, spatial analyses, and experimental approaches to understand plant regeneration, community assembly, and plant–plant interactions across environmental gradients. Currently, he is studying how climate variability shapes plant phenology and ecosystem resilience, while developing reference models and cost-effective restoration strategies for degraded dry forests.
Daniela Cortes Guzman
Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung
Daniela’s research examines freshwater biodiversity change, with an emphasis on identifying spatial patterns and temporal trends, and elucidating the mechanisms and drivers underlying biodiversity loss and recovery. Her work in community and functional ecology spans broad spatial extents and long temporal scales for a comprehensive understanding of ecological change. She has developed strong expertise in advanced analytical methods and effective scientific communication to assess change and inform evidence-based monitoring and conservation actions addressing global biodiversity loss.
Shafia Zahra
Fauna & Flora Indonesia Program
Shafia is an ecologist and entomologist focusing on species interaction in the tropical forest. She also has a broad range interest in conservation biology, particularly in assessing the presence and distribution of endangered species in Indonesia as well as invasive species.
Vishesh Diengdoh
One Health, Directorate of Health Services
Vishesh is an ecologist working at the intersection of biodiversity, land-cover change, and climate change. His previous research integrates statistical modelling approaches (GLMs and GAMs), remote sensing, and machine learning to quantify biodiversity patterns along global change gradients. Currently, within a One Health framework, he examines links between human systems, biodiversity, and global change. His work aims to generate robust, data-driven evidence to inform policy and applied decision-making across social–ecological systems.
Patricia Kaye Dumandan
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Patricia is an ecologist who specializes in extracting ecological insights from long-term, well-curated datasets. Her work usually involves time-series analysis, ecological forecasting, and integration of multi-decadal monitoring and experimental data across diverse systems to characterize biodiversity responses to ongoing climate change. She is also eager to contribute to the development of tools that empower conservation practitioners to make informed decisions about natural resource management.
Liyao Yu
National University of Singapore
Dr. Liyao Yu is a plant ecophysiologist and ecosystem ecologist working on climate responses of tropical forest ecosystems, especially the variability of forest productivity and resource use. His expertise includes plant functional traits, terrestrial carbon cycle modeling, eddy covariance, and remote sensing.
Tharaka Priyadarshana
Nanyang Technological University
Tharaka conducts research in agroecology, urban ecology, and conservation biology, with a focus on developing practical approaches to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services in human-modified landscapes. His research centres on insect communities, supported by field studies in Sri Lanka, China, and Singapore. A key aim of this work is to integrate biodiversity considerations into land-use planning to promote resilient and sustainable ecosystems.
For more information on the scheme you can click here. Please note that applications for the 2027 cohort will not open until later this year.
