João Pimenta

I am an evolutionary geneticist, working with genomics to understand how populations change through time and how they respond to environmental pressures. My research focuses on population genomics, demographic history, and the genetic basis of adaptation in non-model species. I use whole-genome data, statistical modelling, and comparative analyses to understand how genetic diversity is shaped by past events, present ecological conditions (e.g. climate change), and interactions between species.

My work has focused on the characterization of how genomes record and underlie biological responses to environmental change. I am investigation the genetic mechanisms underlying seasonal coat-colour variation in mammals and assessing how hybridization and introgression contribute to adaptive potential under shifting climates. I am also interested in analysing intraspecific genetic diversity in key pollinator species across Europe, I aim to identify the processes that shape population structure and connectivity, and adaptive capacity to the diverse biomes of Europe.