Paulo Inácio Prado

I am a biologist, PhD in Ecology and teacher at the Ecology Department from the Instituto de Biociências of Universidade de São Paulo.

Before that I was an associate researcher at Environmental Research Center of Unicamp and associate teacher at Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo.

My intellectual project is to give more theoretical rigor to Community Ecology. My strategy is to deduce ecological patterns from first principles, and then subjecting them to rigorous empirical and logical tests.

It is also my goal to train researchers who combine deep critical thinking with a solid background in ecology and in the logic of the scientific method.

• CV in the Lattes Database kept by the Brazilian Research Council ( CNPq ),
• Google Scholar.

One of the basic approaches of community ecology is to identify patterns and regularities to infer their underlying structuring processes. I was trained in this tradition of observational research, and I specialized in statistical analysis to detect ecological patterns. I keep researching and advising on this subject.

More recently, I also started some experimental approaches, like manipulative research in the field, and “virtual experiments” with computer simulations.

I still take part in the research group I graduated, led by Dr. Thomas Lewinsohn, at Unicamp.

I work in collaboration with them and other colleagues in the search for patterns in ecological networks, with emphasis on antagonistic systems of herbivorous insects and their host plants.

I work with many colleagues form Physics, computer science and statistics in models to describe ecological, evolutionary and epidemiological dynamics, both in theoretical and empirical settings.

On many occasions I could use my skills in analysis and ecological theory to applied research, especially in conservation biology.

Currently these issues are not my main line of investigation, although I keep some ongoing collaborations.

In collaboration with many colleagues, I created and teach (or taught) many courses at the Graduate Studies Program in Ecology at USP

• Statistic Models in Ecology and Resource Management

• Introduction to the R language for ecologists

• Community Ecology

• Statistical Methods in population Ecology

Also at USP, I coordinated our Field Course for graduate students, and the undergraduate course of Population and community ecology of plants, and Virtual Ecology.

I am also co-coordinator of the Southern Schools on Mathematical Biology at ICTP/SAIFR

A comprehensive list courses I teach is in the page of teaching acitivities.

Graduate work already completed. For work in progress, please see the pages of current students.

[2003, phdthesis | www]

Aguiar, S. ((2003). Diversidade de Asteraceae e de insetos associados e padrões de uso de hospedeiro por Tephritidae (Diptera) em diferentes componentes da paisagem do Estado de São Paulo.). Unpublished PhD Thesis , Unicamp, Campinas (Co-advisor).

[2007, mastersthesis | www]

Becker, C. G. ((2007). Desconexão de habitats e o declinio global dos anfibios.). Unpublished Master's Dissertation , Unicamp, Campinas.

[2008, mastersthesis | www]

Torres, P. G. ((2008). Ocorrencia de cães domesticos (canis familiaris) em fragmentos de mata atlantica em zona rural e urbana e sua relação com a ocupação humana do entorno.). Unpublished Master's Dissertation , Unicamp, Campinas.

[2010, phdthesis | www]

Paise, G. ((2010). Efeitos da fragmentação de habitat sobre a comunidade de pequenos mamíferos de Mata Atlântica no Estado de São Paulo.). Unpublished PhD Thesis , Unicamp, Campinas.

Please check at USP Repository