Danny began his PhD in January 2025 in the Environmental Biology department at CML. His research focuses on soil ecology and microbiology, with the aim of linking fungal traits to ecosystem functions. He uses mesocosm experiments, manipulating either functions or fungal traits to better understand the relationship between traits and ecosystem multifunctionality.

More information about Danny Lopes Ramos

Professional experience

Danny holds a BSc in Earth and Environmental Sciences from the University of Rennes, with a focus on soil sciences and ecosystem ecology.  He then completed an MSc in Physical Geography and Ecosystem Sciences at Lund University, specializing in soil and plant ecology, biogeochemical cycles, and ecosystem analysis. During this program, he conducted his MSc thesis on fungal biomass and decomposition, alongside additional experimental work on fungal community composition and tundra ecosystems. His work combined field and laboratory approaches with analytical methods such as spectroscopy, qPCR, isotopic tracing, and data analysis.

Research topic

Danny works on fungal traits and soil multifunctionality. The aim of the project is to understand how fungal trait diversity drives key ecosystem functions (carbon cycling, soil structure). Building on trait-based ecology frameworks established for plants, his research extends this approach to fungi to explore what mechanisms and patterns can be uncovered