I am a paleoecologist specializing in the study of Neanderthal behavior and the environmental contexts of human evolution. I hold a graduate degree in Biology and a PhD in Prehistory from the University of Perpignan (2002). Following a postdoc at the American Museum of Natural History (2004) and a Humboldt fellowship at Universität Hamburg (2005), I was appointed ICREA Junior Researcher (2007–2012) at the Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social. Since 2013, I have been an ICREA Research Professor at the same institution. I lead a major research project on Neanderthal behavior and paleoecology funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación and participate in various national and international projects (COST Action, Palarq, ERC). I co-direct excavations at the Toll and Teixoneres caves and have supervised 7 PhD dissertations and 7 Master’s theses. To date, I have authored over 170 peer-reviewed papers, serving as first or corresponding author in 60 of them.

My research focuses on evolutionary paleoecology, using mammalian fauna from Plio-Pleistocene sites to investigate hominin evolution, with a strong emphasis on Neanderthals. I employ a multiproxy approach—combining stable isotope analysis, dental microwear, and mesowear—to examine the teeth of species like bison, deer, horse, and mammoth. This enables the reconstruction of ancient diets and landscapes, revealing how climate-induced environmental changes influenced ecosystems and shaped hominin behaviors. These insights allow me to trace environmental dynamics, adaptive strategies, and ecological resilience over time. My work spans Europe, the Near East (Israel), Africa (Tanzania, Morocco), and South America (Chile, Argentina, Brazil), offering a global, comparative perspective on past ecosystems and their role in shaping hominin evolutionary pathways in response to changing climates.