Francisco Baldó, graduated in Biology (University of Seville) and Marine Sciences (University of Cadiz) and holds a PhD in Marine Sciences (University of Cadiz), is a Senior Scientist at the Cadiz Oceanographic Centre of the Spanish Oceanographic Institute (IEO), CSIC. Currently, his main scientific motivation is to try to understand the biodiversity of marine ecosystems from an eco-evolutionary perspective and to contribute to their conservation, favoring the sustainable management of fishery resources from an ecosystem approach. Individual-based theoretical models of the Guadalquivir estuarine food web formed the basis of his doctoral thesis. He has worked extensively in the Gulf of Cadiz and the Gran Sol fishing ground, but also in the Cantabrian Sea, Newfoundland, Patagonia and Antarctica. Particularly interested in initiatives aimed at improving knowledge of the structure and functioning of marine ecosystems in the long term, he has developed and led research on the deep-sea ecosystems of the Porcupine Bank, in Irish waters, where since 2008 he has led an annual oceanographic research cruise, currently funded by the European Union through the PORCUDEM project, of which he is the PI.
