Curriculum vitae [pdf]

Wilfredo Falcón
Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies
University of Zürich, 190 Winterthurerstrasse
8057 Zürich, Switzerland
wilfredo.falcon[at]ieu.uzh.ch
Skype: wil.falcon

Elsewhere on the internet: 
Research Gate Profile
Google Scholar Profile

Education

University of Zürich - Irchel
Current - PhD Program in Ecology
  • Project: From understanding to predicting: Giant tortoises as drivers of the seed dispersal network of Aldabra
  • Advisor: Dr. Dennis Hansen

University of Puerto Rico - Río Piedras Campus
2013 - MSc in Biology (Summa Cum Laude)
  • Project: Consequences of acquired interactions of an invasive orchid on its population growth rates in Puerto Rico
  • Advisor: Dr. James D. Ackerman

University of Puerto Rico - Humacao Campus
2010- BSc in Wildlife Management (Cum Laude)
  • Project: Population ecology and distribution of the White-winged parakeet (Brotogeris versicolorus) in Puerto Rico
  • Advisor: Dr. Raymond L. Tremblay

Other Qualifications

2013 - PADI Advance Open Water Diver Certification, Mahé, Seychelles
2012 - Population Genetics and Statistics Workshop, Oslo, Norway
2010 - Basic Training for Wildlife Biologists and Practitioners, San Juan, Puerto Rico
  • Workshop organised by the Center for Applied Tropical Ecology and Conservation, University of Puerto Rico
2010 - Advanced Geospatial Training Program, College Station, Texas
  • Workshop organised by the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Texas A&M University
2010 - Plant–animal Interactions in the Tropics course, Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica
  • Graduate course by the Organization of Tropical Studies, Duke University
2008 - DNA Analysis, Humacao, Puerto Rico

Awards & Honours

2013 - José Ramón Ortíz Awardee
  • Awarded to the student with the highest GPA upon graduation in the MSc Biology Program.

​2013 - Fulbright US Student Program
  • Recommended by the US National Screening Committee of the Institute of International Education for studies in New Zealand.

2010 - Bridge to the Doctorate Fellow
  • 2-year competitive fellowship sponsored by the US-NSF that included salary, and research/travel funding.

​2010 - Antarctica Service Medal of the USA
  • Awarded  to personnel serving in the US Antarctic Program and stationed in the continent.

2010 - USDA Faculty and Student Teams Program Fellow
  • Competitive fellowship placing a faculty and two students from Hispanic Serving Institutes in selected National Research Initiatives. Dr. Curt Daehler was our host Faculty during our training on Species Distribution Modelling in the University of Hawai'i - Mãnoa.

2008 - Ronald E. McNair Scholar
  • A US Federal TRIO program that provides competitive scholarships with the aim to prepare undergraduates for doctoral         studies. 

2007 - UPR-SMART Scholarship
  • Scholarship awarded to 3rd-4th year STEM students based on academic merit.

​2002 - US-National Honor Society –"Noblesse Oblige"

Research Experience

See publication list here

Presentations (selection)
  • Ackerman, JD, W Falcón*, J Molinari, C Vega, I Espino, and AA Cuevas. 2013. Consequences of acquired interspecific interactions for an invasive orchid, Spathoglottis plicata in Puerto Rico. 33rd PRISM. Gurabo, PR. [poster]
  • Falcón, W, JD Ackerman, W Recart and CC Daehler. 2012. March of the green iguana: Vulnerability of invasion in the Greater Caribbean and the Pacific Islands. Iguana Specialist Group/1st Latin American Iguana Meeting. Huatulco, Oaxaca, Mexico. [info]
  • Falcón, W, JD Ackerman, W Recart, and PJ Hernández-García. 2011. Hawai’i and Puerto Rico: A story of shared orchid weeds. Hawai’i Conservation Conference. O’ahu, HI.
  • Falcón, W, RL Tremblay, and JD Ackerman. 2011. The emerging dominance of Spathoglottis plicata in Puerto Rico. Botany Conference. St. Louis, MO. [poster]
  • Falcón, W, CS Goldberg, LP Waits, WA Estes-Zumpf, and JL Rachlow. 2011. First record of multiple paternity in the pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis): Evidence from analysis of 16 microsatellite loci. PR-LSAMP 5th Transdisciplinary Conference. San Juan, PR. [poster]
  • Falcón, W, W Recart, and JD Ackerman. 2011. Invasive green iguanas (Iguana iguana) on the march: Vulnerability of tropical islands. Tercer Simposio de Herpetología Puertorriqueña. Arecibo, PR. [poster]
  • Falcón, W, and RL Tremblay. 2009. Population growth rates and distribution of the non-indigenous Brotogeris versicolurus: Puerto Rican passport granted? Biolief: World Conference on Biological Invasions and Ecosystem Functioning. Porto, Portugal. [poster]


Other research experience
Research volunteer, Puerto Rican Bank
  • Assisted Dr. Brittany Barker of the University of New Mexico in her dissertation fieldwork with Eleutherodactylus frogs in Puerto Rico and the (US & UK) Virgin Islands. Tasks included capturing frogs and taking DNA samples, habitat description, sampling logistics, identifying species and finding sampling sites. [related article]

​Research volunteer, Mona, Puerto Rico
  • Assisted Dr. Julissa Rojas-Sandoval (University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras) in her dissertation fieldwork with Harrisia portoricensis as a volunteer. Duties included measuring plant phenology, maintenance of invasive grass plot experiments and collecting environmental data. 

Service

See Service page.

Academic & Professional Memberships

  • Ecological Society of America
  • British Ecological Society