Eduardo Infantes, seagrass ecology researcher, working at Kristineberg Marine Research Station, Sweden.

Biography

Distinguished Professor at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, ULPGC (Spain), based at the research institute ECOAQUA  and part of BIOCON. I lead the Seagrass Ecology Lab, a two-hub platform linking ULPGC–ECOAQUA (Canary Islands, Spain) with Kristineberg Center (University of Gothenburg, Sweden). My research integrates hydrodynamics, seed ecology, and restoration science to understand and improve the resilience and recovery of seagrass ecosystems under increasing physical disturbance.

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing

Albert Einstein

 

My research examines how hydrodynamics, vegetation, and sediments interact to shape the persistence, recovery, and resilience of benthic ecosystems, with a particular focus on seagrass meadows. Using a process-based approach, I study how physical forcing and ecological feedbacks constrain seagrass distribution, recruitment, and restoration outcomes.

This work integrates field experiments, experimental hydrodynamics (hydraulic flumes and wave mesocosms), seed and early life-stage ecology, drone-based monitoring, and quantitative modelling. A central goal is to translate mechanistic understanding into evidence-based restoration and management strategies.

As a part of the ZOsteRa RestOration (ZORRO) group, I contribute to advancing seagrass restoration of Zostera marina by developing seed and transplant methods, identifying bottlenecks (e.g., predation, drifting algal mats, resuspension), and co-producing handbooks and biodegradable tools now used by coastal managers in Sweden and Norway.

During my PhD at the Mediterranean Institute of Advanced Studies (CSIC-IMEDEA), I combined marine ecology and fluid dynamics to quantify how wave energy constrains macrophyte survival and distribution (Posidonia oceanica, Cymodocea nodosa), and how seagrass canopies attenuate waves for coastal protection. I also use drones for coastal monitoring and marine megafauna research, including dugongs (Mozambique and Thailand) and seals (Sweden).

I have published over 60 peer-reviewed articles, secured more than €1.25M as Principal Investigator, and actively supervise students in hands-on, quantitative coastal science. Raised in the Canary Islands, my aim is to build collaborations that help conserve and restore coastal ecosystems so future generations benefit from healthy shorelines. Please contact me for research collaborations, student projects, or visiting research opportunities.

Education

  • Ph.D. 2011

    Ph.D. in Biology

    University of the Balearic Islands, Spain

  • M.Sc 2003

    Master in Applied Marine Sciences

    University of Plymouth, UK

  • B.Sc 2002

    B.Sc (Hons) Environmental Analysis

    University of Huddersfield, UK

Academic Positions

  • Present2025

    Distinguished Professor / Associate Professor

    University Las Palmas Gran Canaria, Spain

  • 20252021

    Senior Researcher

    University of Gothenburg, Kristineberg, Sweden

  • 20222020

    Researcher

    Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Norway

  • 20202015

    Assistant Professor (non-tenure)

    University of Gothenburg, Kristineberg, Sweden

  • 20122011

    Visiting Scientist

    University of Maryland, Horn Point Lab, USA

  • 20102008

    PhD Internships

    Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA) and Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (Netherlands)

  • 20112006

    PhD Student

    Spanish National Research Council (CSIC-IMEDEA), Spain

Honors, Awards and Grants

  • 2025
    Beatriz Galindo Grant
    Obtained the Beatriz Galindo Talent Attraction Grant (Senior modality), Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU), a competitive program designed to attract distinguished international researchers to Spanish universities
  • 2015
    Award - King Carl XVI Gustaf 50 Anniversary
    Award of Science, Technology and Environment given by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden at the Royal Palace. Stockholm, Sweden

    King Carl Gustaf award

    King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden award

  • 2014
    Mobility Fellowship
    Fellowhip (4 years) from the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning, Sweden
  • 2006
    PhD FPI Grant
    Grant (4 years) of funding from the Spanish Ministry of Education, Spain

Blog Posts

Featured recent research articles

55. Restoring Halodule uninervis: Evaluating planting methods and biodiversity

Journal Papers
Cossa D, Cossa M, Nhaca J, Timba I, Chunguane Y, Vetina A, Macia A, Gullström M, Infantes E
Restoration Ecology, 33(3): e14382
Publication year: 2025

49. One hundred priority questions for advancing seagrass conservation in Europe

Journal Papers
Nordlund L, Unsworth RKF, Wallner-Hahn S, Ratnarajah L, Beca-Carretero P, Boikova E, Bull J, Chefaoui R, de los Santos CB, Gagnon K, Garmendia J, Gizzi F, Govers L, Gustafsson C, Hineva E, Infantes E, Canning-Clode J, Jahnke M, Kleitou P, Kennedy H, Klayn S, Moller T, Monteiro J, Piñeiro N; Ponis E, Papathanasiou V, Poursanidis D, Pieraccini R, Serrano O, Sousa A, Schäfer S, Rossi F, Storey S, van Katwijk M, Wall D, Ward E, Wilkes R
Plants, People, Planet. 6(3): 529-773.
Publication year: 2024
An automated work-flow for pinniped surveys: a new tool for monitoring population dynamics

37. An automated work-flow for pinniped surveys: a new tool for monitoring population dynamics

Journal Papers
Infantes E, Carroll D, Silva WTAK, Harkonen T, Edwards S, Harding KC
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 10:905309. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2022.905309
Publication year: 2022
eagrass roots of cymodocea nodosa eroding in cliff formation in sandy sediments Mallorca, Spain, Mediterranan sea

40. Seagrass roots strongly reduce cliff erosion rates in sandy sediments

Journal Papers
Infantes E, Hoeks S, Adams MP, van der Heide T, van Katwijk M, Bouma TJ
Marine Ecology Progress Series, 700:1-12, DOI: 10.3354/meps14196
Publication year: 2022

34. Making realistic wave climates in low-cost wave mesocosms: a new tool for experimental ecology & biogeomorphology

Journal Papers
Infantes E, de Smit J, Tamarit E, Bouma TJ
Limnology and Oceanography: Methods, 19: 317-330
Publication year: 2021
Trait-based biomimicry amplifies coastal restoration success

25. Mimicry of emergent traits amplifies coastal restoration success

Journal Papers
Temmink RJM, Christianen MJA, Fivash GS, Angelini C, Boström C, Didderen K, Engel SM, Esteban N, Gaeckle JL, Gagnon K, Govers LL, Infantes E, van Katwijk MM, Kipson S, Lamers LPM, Lengkeek W, Silliman BR, van Tussenbroek BI, Unsworth RKF, Yaakub SM, Bouma TJ, van der Heide T
Nature Communications, 11:3668 (2020)
Publication year: 2020

Further reading in seagrass ecology

—–  eduardo.infantes [at] ulpgc.es —–