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INCAR²Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología, Conocimiento e Innovación · ANID — Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo

RL6

Dra. Claudia D. Andrade Díaz

Adjunct Researcher

Biography

Dr. Claudia D. Andrade Díaz holds a Ph.D. in Natural Sciences from the University of Bremen (Germany), a Master’s degree in Management and Conservation of Natural Resources in Subantarctic Environments, and a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Magallanes (UMAG), Chile.

She currently serves as an Associate Professor and researcher at the Institute of Patagonia of the University of Magallanes, where she is part of the Functional Ecology Laboratory (LEF-UMAG). She has more than 15 years of experience in research, university teaching, and scientific management in subantarctic and Antarctic marine ecosystems.

Her research focuses on benthic ecology, trophic network structure and functioning, ecosystem resilience, and functional responses of marine communities to environmental and anthropogenic disturbances. She integrates tools such as stable isotope analysis, fatty acids, toxins, functional diversity, and a holistic approach to understand energy flows and ecological transformations in the fjords and channels of Chilean Patagonia.

She currently leads the FONDECYT Initiation project No. 11241322 on the impact of harmful algal blooms (HABs) on subantarctic benthic communities. She also participates in national and international initiatives related to climate change, marine conservation, environmental monitoring, and governance of aquatic resources.

Between 2022 and 2024, she served as President of the Chilean Society of Marine Sciences (SCHCM) and currently participates in scientific and technical forums related to ecosystem-based management, sustainable aquaculture, and public policy for southern marine ecosystems.

Degrees and Academic Qualifications

  • 2016. Doctor rerum naturalium (Dr. rer. nat.) in Natural Sciences, University of Bremen, Germany.
  • 2009. Master’s in Management and Conservation of Natural Resources in Subantarctic Environments, University of Magallanes, Chile.
  • 2006. Bachelor’s in Biological Sciences, University of Magallanes, Chile.
  • 2005. Bachelor of Science with a major in Biology and Chemistry, University of Magallanes, Chile.

Selected Projects

  • Principal Investigator, FONDECYT Initiation No. 11241322 (ANID) (2024–2027): “Tracing the impact of harmful algal blooms (HABs) on benthic communities: insights from fatty acids and stable isotopes analysis in the context of trophic structure and organization.”
  • Alternate Director, FONDEF Project IT25I0050 (ANID) (2025–2027): Sustainable recreational fishing, conservation of native fish, and territorial planning in protected areas. Public-interest R&D project aimed at generating scientific foundations and applied tools to improve land-use planning, conservation of aquatic ecosystems, and sustainable management of recreational fisheries in protected areas of the Magallanes Region.
  • Co-Investigator, RISUE Project – IES RED21992: Research on trophic networks, resilience, and functional structure in subantarctic fjords and channels of Chilean Patagonia.
  • Co-Investigator, BESTACh – CIMAR FIORDOS 29 (2024–2027): Biodiversity, trophic structure, and environmental sensitivity of southern Chilean zoobenthos.
  • Co-Investigator, ECOBENTOMAG – CIMAR FIORDOS 27 (2024–2027): Ecological status of zoobenthos in the Strait of Magellan: biodiversity, trophic structure, and functionality.