Rate My Professor Fernanda Valdovinos

Fernanda S. Valdovinos is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy at the University of California, Davis, located in 3013 Wickson Hall. She earned her PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Chile in 2014. After completing postdoctoral research at the University of Arizona, she served as an Assistant Professor of Ecology and Complex Systems at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, prior to joining UC Davis in July 2020. She also holds an appointment as External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute.

A theoretical ecologist and network scientist, Valdovinos investigates the structure and dynamics of ecological networks at ecological and evolutionary timescales, with a focus on ecosystems under anthropogenic pressures. She incorporates empirically validated mechanisms into mathematical models of ecological networks, utilizing network analysis, computational methods, mathematical derivations, biological insights, and empirical testing. Her research spans behavioral ecology and behavior, conservation ecology, ecology, global change, invasive species, population and community ecology, and theoretical ecology. Prominent publications feature 'Consequences of adaptive behaviour for the structure and dynamics of food webs' (Ecology Letters, 2010; 231 citations), 'Adaptive foraging allows the maintenance of biodiversity of pollination networks' (Oikos, 2013; 198 citations), 'Mutualistic networks: moving closer to a predictive theory' (Ecology Letters, 2019; 195 citations), 'Topological plasticity increases robustness of mutualistic networks' (Journal of Animal Ecology, 2012; 168 citations), 'Interpreting random forest analysis of ecological models to move from prediction to explanation' (Scientific Reports, 2023; 155 citations), and 'Niche partitioning due to adaptive foraging reverses effects of nestedness and connectance on pollination network stability' (Ecology Letters, 2016; 150 citations). Her contributions have shaped understanding of adaptive behaviors, network robustness, pollination stability, and fishing impacts on ecosystems. Valdovinos has presented seminars on ecological network responses to environmental change and held leadership positions, including Vice-Chair transitioning to Chair in an Ecological Society of America section for 2024–2025.