Rafik Neme, Ph.D.

Research

Dr. Neme leads a research group at Universidad del Norte that integrates genomics, ecology, and spatial analysis to understand how biodiversity is structured and distributed across tropical environments. His work combines field-based sampling, environmental DNA, and computational approaches to study a wide range of organisms, including fishes, corals, insects, amphibians, and plants. Beyond describing patterns, his research explores the processes that generate and maintain biodiversity, including evolutionary dynamics and the role of genomes as systems that encode environmental information. His group develops scalable monitoring frameworks and high-quality datasets aimed at informing conservation and decision-making in regions where biodiversity is under pressure from rapid urbanization, industrial expansion, and high climate vulnerability. In parallel, he contributes to the development of interdisciplinary training and research programs, strengthening scientific capacity in the Caribbean region.