Alexandre Antonelli (born 15 August 1978)[1] is Director of Science at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew,[2] UK, Professor of Biodiversity and Systematic at the University of Gothenburg,[3] Sweden, and Visiting Professor at the University of Oxford.[4] He is a biodiversity scientist working to understand the evolution and distribution of the diversity of life on Earth and how best to protect and sustainably use it.[5] His first popular science book, The Hidden Universe: Adventures in Biodiversity, was published in July 2022.[6]

Professor Alexandre Antonelli

Biography

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Antonelli was born and raised in Campinas, Brazil, and completed his undergraduate studies in biology in Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil and the University of Geneva, Switzerland.[7][8] From there, he went on to complete an MSc in Biology at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, which was awarded in 2003.[7] He remained at the university to pursue a PhD entitled Spatiotemporal Evolution of Neotropical Organisms: New Insights into an Old Riddle, awarded in 2009.[9] Since then, he has held a number of prestigious scientific positions, including postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Systematic Botany, University of Zurich, Switzerland,[7] Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer at the University of Gothenburg,[10][7] Cisneros Visiting Scholar at Harvard University, USA,[11][7] Science Advisor at the Universeum Science Centre, Gothenburg, and Scientific Curator at Gothenburg Botanical Garden.[7] In 2017, Antonelli founded the Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre[12] and was the Director until 2019 when he moved to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, to take up his current position as Director of Science.[13] He was also the founder and chairman (2015-2020) of knowme.earth, a mobile platform for logging, identifying, and sharing information about all species on Earth.[7]

Antonelli met his wife Anna while in Sweden and they have three children together.[7]

Research

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Antonelli studies the distribution, evolution, threats and sustainable uses of species and develops methods to speed up scientific discovery and innovation.[7] His work focuses on the tropics, where most species occur and the threats are most acute,[7] and he is also known for his work on mountain diversity.[14][15][16] Antonelli has also written on the biodiversity of the Neotropics.[17][18][19][20] In December 2022, he co-authored two sister reviews in Science on the biodiversity of Madagascar.[21][22] He has recently been exploring the application of machine learning techniques for biodiversity research and conservation[23][24] In 2020, Antonelli led the State of the World's Plants and Fungi report,[25] a major international collaboration with an associated symposium.[26]

He was named on the Web of Science / Clarivate 2020, 2021 and 2022 ‘Highly Cited Researchers’ list, which identifies pioneering researchers in the top 1% of their field.[27]

Plant species named

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Antonelli's taxonomic work has led to the scientific description of the following new plant species:

Ciliosemina Antonelli (Rubiaceae)[28]

Ciliosemina pedunculata (H.Karst.) Antonelli (Rubiaceae)[29]

Ciliosemina purdieana (Wedd.) Antonelli (Rubiaceae)[30]

Cordiera montana C. H. Perss., Delprete & Antonelli (Rubiaceae)[31]

Two species have also been named in his honour:

Recognition

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Antonelli won the Senckenberg Prize for Nature Research (2022),[34] was awarded 1st Prize (with collaborators) in the GBIF Ebbe Nielsen Challenge (2020 and 2021),[35][36] and 2nd prize (2016),[35] was Cisneros Visiting Scholar, David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Harvard University (2018),[11] was named as one of Sweden's 100 coolest researchers (2017), was a Future Research Leader, Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (2016), elected member of the Young Academy of Sweden (2016-2019), was the Wallenberg Academy Fellow, Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (2014), and is an elected member of the Royal Society of Arts and Sciences in Gothenburg (2016-).[7] In 2023, he was selected to sit on the Convention on Biological Diversity's Informal Advisory Group on Technical and Scientific Cooperation.[37]

References

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  1. ^ "Alexandre Antonelli (44 år) Västra Frölunda | Ratsit". www.ratsit.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  2. ^ "Professor Alexandre Antonelli | Kew". www.kew.org. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  3. ^ "Alexandre Antonelli | University of Gothenburg". www.gu.se. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  4. ^ "Professor Alexandre Antonelli". www.biology.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  5. ^ "Antonelli Lab". antonelli-lab.net. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  6. ^ Antonelli, A. (2022). The Hidden Universe: Adventures in Biodiversity. Witness Books, Penguin. ISBN 9781529109160.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "People". antonelli-lab.net. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  8. ^ "Alexandre Antonelli: At the forefront of science in royal gardens". revistapesquisa.fapesp.br. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  9. ^ Antonelli, Alexandre (2008-11-07). Spatiotemporal Evolution of Neotropical Organisms: New Insights into an Old Riddle. Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg. ISBN 978-91-85529-21-6.
  10. ^ "Alexandre Antonelli | University of Gothenburg". www.gu.se. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  11. ^ a b "DRCLAS Announces 2017-2018 Visiting Scholars and Robert F. Kennedy Visiting Professors". drclas.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  12. ^ "New Centre for Biological Diversity | University of Gothenburg". www.gu.se. 2016-12-29. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  13. ^ "Kew appoints Prof. Alexandre Antonelli as new Director of Science | Kew". www.kew.org. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  14. ^ Hoorn, C.; Wesselingh, F. P.; ter Steege, H.; Bermudez, M. A.; Mora, A.; Sevink, J.; Sanmartín, I.; Sanchez-Meseguer, A.; Anderson, C. L.; Figueiredo, J. P.; Jaramillo, C.; Riff, D.; Negri, F. R.; Hooghiemstra, H.; Lundberg, J. (2010-11-12). "Amazonia Through Time: Andean Uplift, Climate Change, Landscape Evolution, and Biodiversity". Science. 330 (6006): 927–931. Bibcode:2010Sci...330..927H. doi:10.1126/science.1194585. hdl:10261/167010. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 21071659. S2CID 206528591.
  15. ^ Antonelli, Alexandre; Kissling, W. Daniel; Flantua, Suzette G. A.; Bermúdez, Mauricio A.; Mulch, Andreas; Muellner-Riehl, Alexandra N.; Kreft, Holger; Linder, H. Peter; Badgley, Catherine; Fjeldså, Jon; Fritz, Susanne A.; Rahbek, Carsten; Herman, Frédéric; Hooghiemstra, Henry; Hoorn, Carina (2018). "Geological and climatic influences on mountain biodiversity". Nature Geoscience. 11 (10): 718–725. Bibcode:2018NatGe..11..718A. doi:10.1038/s41561-018-0236-z. ISSN 1752-0908. S2CID 86856819.
  16. ^ "Mountains, Climate and Biodiversity | Wiley". Wiley.com. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  17. ^ Antonelli, Alexandre; Zizka, Alexander; Carvalho, Fernanda Antunes; Scharn, Ruud; Bacon, Christine D.; Silvestro, Daniele; Condamine, Fabien L. (2018-06-05). "Amazonia is the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 115 (23): 6034–6039. Bibcode:2018PNAS..115.6034A. doi:10.1073/pnas.1713819115. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 6003360. PMID 29760058.
  18. ^ Antonelli, Alexandre (2022). "The rise and fall of Neotropical diversity". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 199: 8–24. doi:10.1093/botlinnean/boab061.
  19. ^ Antonelli, Alexandre; Sanmartín, Isabel (2011). "Why are there so many plant species in the Neotropics?". Taxon. 60 (2): 403–414. doi:10.1002/tax.602010. hdl:10261/167023.
  20. ^ Antonelli, Alexandre; Ariza, María; Albert, James; Andermann, Tobias; Azevedo, Josué; Bacon, Christine; Faurby, Søren; Guedes, Thais; Hoorn, Carina; Lohmann, Lúcia G.; Matos-Maraví, Pável; Ritter, Camila D.; Sanmartín, Isabel; Silvestro, Daniele; Tejedor, Marcelo (2018-10-04). "Conceptual and empirical advances in Neotropical biodiversity research". PeerJ. 6: e5644. doi:10.7717/peerj.5644. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 6174874. PMID 30310740. S2CID 52962525.
  21. ^ Antonelli, Alexandre; Smith, Rhian J.; Perrigo, Allison L.; Crottini, Angelica; Hackel, Jan; Testo, Weston; Farooq, Harith; Torres Jiménez, Maria F.; Andela, Niels; Andermann, Tobias; Andriamanohera, Andotiana M.; Andriambololonera, Sylvie; Bachman, Steven P.; Bacon, Christine D.; Baker, William J. (2022-12-02). "Madagascar's extraordinary biodiversity: Evolution, distribution, and use". Science. 378 (6623): eabf0869. doi:10.1126/science.abf0869. hdl:20.500.11820/85e8a9e4-0125-4115-83e0-d71ad39eba93. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 36454829. S2CID 254150822.
  22. ^ Ralimanana, Hélène; Perrigo, Allison L.; Smith, Rhian J.; Borrell, James S.; Faurby, Søren; Rajaonah, Mamy Tiana; Randriamboavonjy, Tianjanahary; Vorontsova, Maria S.; Cooke, Robert S. C.; Phelps, Leanne N.; Sayol, Ferran; Andela, Niels; Andermann, Tobias; Andriamanohera, Andotiana M.; Andriambololonera, Sylvie (2022-12-02). "Madagascar's extraordinary biodiversity: Threats and opportunities". Science. 378 (6623): eadf1466. doi:10.1126/science.adf1466. hdl:20.500.11820/7803575f-aa4c-406f-b47c-3ba1f3f020cd. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 36454830. S2CID 254150735.
  23. ^ Silvestro, D.; Goria, S.; Sterner, T.; Antonelli, A. (22 March 2022). "Improving biodiversity protection through artificial intelligence". Nature Sustainability. 5 (5): 415–424. Bibcode:2022NatSu...5..415S. doi:10.1038/s41893-022-00851-6. PMC 7612764. PMID 35614933.
  24. ^ Antonelli, Alexandre; Dhanjal-Adams, Kiran L.; Silvestro, Daniele (2023). "Integrating machine learning, remote sensing and citizen science to create an early warning system for biodiversity". Plants, People, Planet. 5 (3): 307–316. doi:10.1002/ppp3.10337. ISSN 2572-2611. S2CID 253348223.
  25. ^ "State of the World's Plants and Fungi | Kew". www.kew.org. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  26. ^ "State of the World's Plants and Fungi Virtual Symposium". cms.botany.org. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  27. ^ "Researcher Recognition". Web of Science Group. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  28. ^ "Ciliosemina Antonelli | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  29. ^ "Ciliosemina pedunculata (H.Karst.) Antonelli | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  30. ^ "Ciliosemina purdieana (Wedd.) Antonelli | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  31. ^ "Cordiera montana C.H.Perss., Delprete & Antonelli | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  32. ^ "Siphocampylus antonellii Lagom. & D.Santam. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  33. ^ Pérez-Escobar, Oscar Alejandro; Jaramillo, Carlos; Zuluaga, Alejandro; García-Revelo, Santiago; Dodsworth, Steven; Bogarín, Diego (2021-12-17). "Two new orchid species (Camaridium: Maxillariinae; Lepanthes: Pleurothallidinae) from the Pacific slope of the Northern Andes, Colombia". Lankesteriana: International Journal on Orchidology: 351–362. doi:10.15517/lank.v21i3.49471 (inactive 1 November 2024). ISSN 2215-2067.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
  34. ^ jayjay. "30". Senckenberg Museum für Naturkunde Görlitz (in German). Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  35. ^ a b "Ebbe Nielsen Challenge". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  36. ^ "ShinyBIOMOD wins 2020 GBIF Ebbe Nielsen Challenge". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  37. ^ "Composition of the Informal Advisory Group on Technical and Scientific Cooperation". www.cbd.int. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  38. ^ International Plant Names Index.  Antonelli.