Pedro Miguel Mendes Araújo

Pedro Miguel Mendes Araújo

I am a biologist and independent researcher at the Centre for Functional Ecology (University of Coimbra), leading MIGEN, a research group that integrates movement ecology, ecophysiology, population genomics and functional genomics to uncover the mechanisms underlying animal migration and adaptation. My research combines high-resolution biologging, controlled experiments and multi-omics approaches to understand how environmental variation shapes migratory performance, physiology and evolutionary processes. After completing my PhD in Biology at the University of Coimbra (2015), I developed expertise across functional ecology, nutritional ecology, population genetics and evolutionary genomics through competitive postdoctoral fellowships at BIOPOLIS, MARE–University of Coimbra and international collaborations. I have contributed to several high-impact studies, including co-first authorship of a Science paper on the molecular basis of avian sexual dichromatism and a PLOS Genetics paper on the genomic architecture of phenotypic variation in racing pigeons. Since establishing my independent research programme in 2021 through a competitive FCT CEEC Junior Researcher award, I have built an internationally connected research line focused on the mechanistic basis of migration. In 2026, I launched FLYHIGH, an FCT-funded project integrating tracking technologies, experimental biology, ecophysiology and functional genomics to investigate the drivers of migratory performance. My research is conducted through a broad international network of collaborators across Europe and the United States and aims to bridge ecology, physiology and genomics to address fundamental questions in evolutionary biology under global environmental change.