Tania Gonzalez | Future of VR Research | Research Excellence Award

Published on by VR Research Awards

Ms. Tania Gonzalez | Future of VR Research | Research Excellence Award 

Centro de Investigación Cientifica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada, Baja California | Mexico

Tania Maribel González Mendoza is a dedicated Marine Ecologist with over five years of experience in research and monitoring of coral reefs and coastal ecosystems, with a specialization in reef fish ecology. She possesses strong expertise in scientific diving, marine organism collection, biological sample processing, and both field and laboratory data analysis. Throughout her academic career, including her current Ph.D. candidacy at CICESE, she has been actively involved in national research projects addressing critical issues such as ocean acidification, climate change, and reef ecology, contributing to several peer-reviewed publications. Her professional experience includes research assistant roles at Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana and active participation in projects like the deep-reef refuge hypothesis, Punta Colonet Port development, and reproductive ecology of damselfish, where she has conducted fieldwork, laboratory analyses, database management, and scientific reporting. She has also contributed to reef restoration and carbonate budget assessments, highlighting her hands-on approach to marine conservation. In addition to research, she is experienced in teaching and technical training, offering courses such as Reef Fish Ecology and Underwater Survey Techniques, and has provided workshops and seminars for scientific outreach. Tania is proficient in statistical and ecological software including RStudio, PRIMER+PERMANOVA, Past, and Statistica, and is certified in scientific and recreational diving (PADI Open Water and Advanced Diver). Fluent in Spanish and competent in English, she combines strong organizational skills, proactivity, responsibility, and teamwork with a commitment to advancing marine science. Her work integrates rigorous scientific methodology with field-based ecological insights, positioning her as a skilled researcher and educator dedicated to the conservation and understanding of coral reef ecosystems.


View Orcid Profile

Featured Publications

Jendrian Riedel | Immersive Visualization | Research Excellence Award

Published on by VR Research Awards

 Dr. Jendrian Riedel | Immersive Visualization | Research Excellence Award 

Hochschule Bremen | Germany

Dr. Jendrian Riedel is a German biologist specializing in zoology with a strong interdisciplinary focus bridging evolutionary biology, biodiversity research, and bionics innovation. He completed his Diplom (Master’s) in Biology at the University of Bonn in 2013, majoring in Zoology with minors in Palaeontology and Philosophy, reflecting a foundation in both organismal biology and broader scientific thinking. Following this, he pursued a Ph.D. in Natural and Physical Sciences with a focus on Zoology at James Cook University, Australia, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Lin Schwarzkopf, completing his doctorate in 2020. During his early academic career, Dr. Riedel expanded his research experience internationally, serving as a Guest Scientist at the Department of Evolutionary Biology at Bielefeld University, Germany, in 2020, followed by a postdoctoral position there in 2021. He further deepened his expertise in biodiversity analysis and evolutionary research as a postdoctoral researcher at the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB) – Museum Koenig Bonn, Germany, from 2022 to 2023. Since 2024, he has been contributing to interdisciplinary research as a researcher at the Core Facility for Multidisciplinary Structural Analysis & Bionics Innovation Center at Hochschule Bremen, Germany, where he applies his knowledge of zoology and structural analysis to advance biomimetic and bionics-driven innovations. Dr. Riedel’s career demonstrates a consistent integration of classical zoological research with contemporary approaches in biodiversity assessment and applied bionics, reflecting both depth in organismal science and a strong commitment to multidisciplinary scientific innovation. His work is characterized by a combination of field-based and laboratory research, international collaborations, and a focus on translating biological insights into technological applications, positioning him as a versatile researcher at the intersection of natural sciences and applied bionics.

Profile: Google Scholar

Featured Publications 

Pillai, R. R., Riedel, J., Wirth, W., Allen-Ankins, S., Nordberg, E., Edwards, W., … (2025). What’s the point? The functional role of claws in pad-bearing taxa (Gekkota: Diplodactylidae). Proceedings B, 292(2054), 20251362.

Kukla, Y., Riedel, J., & Rödder, D. (2025). Sticky innovation, limited expansion: Biogeography and evolutionary ecology of toepads in geckos. Journal of Biogeography, e70087.

Hofmann, S., Rödder, D., Andermann, T., Matschiner, M., Riedel, J., Baniya, C. B., … (2024). Exploring Paleogene Tibet’s warm temperate environments through target enrichment and phylogenetic niche modelling of Himalayan spiny frogs (Paini, Dicroglossidae). Molecular Ecology, 33(15), e17446.

Hofmann, S., Rödder, D., Andermann, T., Matschiner, M., Riedel, J., Baniya, C. B., … (2024). Exploring Paleogene Tibet’s warm temperate environments through target enrichment and phylogenetic niche modelling of Himalayan spiny frogs (Paini, Dicroglossidae). Molecular Ecology, 33(15), e17446.

Riedel, J., Klemm, M., Higham, T., Grismer, L. L., Ziegler, T., Russell, A., Rödder, D., … (2023). Variation in claw morphology among the digits of Bent-toed geckos (Cyrtodactylus: Gekkota: Gekkonidae). BMC Zoology, 8(1), 19.