Jordi Catalan is an ecologist and limnologist who employs both empirical and theoretical approaches to study ecological dynamics across spatial and temporal scales.
His current research interests are divided into two main areas: 1) Global Change Ecology: His work in this field focuses primarily on remote freshwater ecosystems, such as alpine lakes, and their interactions with surrounding terrestrial environments. He investigates ecological patterns and processes associated with current and past climate change, as well as the effects of long-range atmospheric pollution; 2) Evolutionary Ecology: In this area, his research centres on the ecological constraints to the evolution of life from a tropho-kinetic perspective. He examines how fundamental limitations in physical encounters, energetic demands, and the biochemical composition of organisms shape the evolution of form and behaviour, ultimately influencing the distribution and diversity of life forms.
He is a Research Professor at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and a researcher at CREAF. From 1989 to 2001, he was an Associate Professor in the Department of Ecology at the University of Barcelona and Director of the High Mountain Research Centre (CRAM). In late 2001, he joined the Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB-CSIC) as a Research Professor, where he established a research group in freshwater ecology.