"I am a marine and island ecologist with over 20 years of experience in shallow water ecosystem research, primarily coral reefs, and in island systems, particularly oceanic. My studies and interest in coral reefs encompass their structure and composition (across different temporal scales), the processes and dynamics that determine their composition, the factors that affect their conservation status, and the methods and programs leading to their ecological restoration. My research in island systems has focused on the ecology of specific groups of organisms (marine birds, reptiles, and macroinvertebrates) and on the trophic networks linking oceanic water systems to terrestrial biota. Additionally, I have some experience in research on mangroves, seagrass meadows, and rocky shorelines. Currently, I am affiliated with the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Cali, where I am a Full Professor and Director of the Biology Program. My current commitments include several research projects and the training of new generations of biologists, with an emphasis on conservation and ecological restoration of our natural heritage. I have also worked in consultancy for public and private companies in Colombia and Germany, covering most organism groups and ecosystems in which I have conducted scientific research. These studies include impact assessments of engineering projects on nature, recommendations for the management and conservation of natural resources, and ecological restoration of degraded ecosystems.

• 2012-actualidad. Profesor de la Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Cali. Desde el 2019, Director del Programa de Biología.
• 2009-2012 Post-Doctorado en el Programa “Just’us: Junior Science and Teaching Units”, de la Universidad Justus-Liebig de Giessen, Alemania. Proyecto: “Food web modeling of Malpelo Island”.
• 2005-2009 rer.nat. (en Biología) de la Universidad Justus-Liebig de Giessen, Alemania. Tesis: “Island ecology: trophic and breeding behaviour of land crabs and seabirds determined the terrestrial community of Malpelo” (mención summa cum laude).
• 2001-2003 Sc. (en Biología Marina) de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia, sub-sede de Santa Marta. Tesis: “Interacciones entre esponjas excavadoras del complejo Cliona aprica–C. langae–C. caribbaea y corales pétreos en el Caribe colombiano” (mención meritoria).
• 1992-1999 Biólogo con Énfasis en Biología Marina de la Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia. Tesis: “Estado actual de las áreas coralinas del archipiélago de San Bernardo: distribución, estructura, composición y estado de salud, con notas sobre su origen y desarrollo geológico”.

Ishida J, Pizarro V, López-Victoria M & Zapata FA (2020) Coral reef restoration in the Eastern Tropical Pacific: Feasibility of the coral nurseries approach. Restoration Ecology 28(1): 22–28.

Lizcano-Sandoval LD, Marulanda-Gómez A, López-Victoria M & Rodriguez-Ramirez A (2019). Climate Change and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation as Drivers of Recent Declines in Coral Growth Rates in the Southwestern Caribbean. Frontiers in Marine Science 6: DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2019.00038.