I studied zoology and ecology in Argentina, acquired a master’s degree in zoology at North Carolina State University and a PhD in Ecology at the University of Connecticut. After a postdoc with Steve Brooks at Cambridge (UK) I wanted to return to my own country to contribute to developing Argentina’s research capacity in statistical ecology, so took up a position as a researcher with CONICET (Argentine research council) associated to the Universidad Nacional del Comahue in Bariloche where I am now also Chair of Ecological Modelling (a post that did not exist until my appointment). There, I was able to build a research team working on quantitative ecology, advising 9 PhD students, 9 postdocs, and 8 early career researchers. I have been PI or co-PI on more than a dozen successful research grants. I have also forged a network of outstanding international collaborators and regularly host visiting students and researchers from abroad. In 2022 I moved to the University of Glasgow where I hold a position as "Professor of Statistical Ecology". During the last 17 years, I have taught short workshops on “models and data”. As a teacher, my main goals are to foster an appreciation for theory and the fundamentals of quantitative approaches in science, while emphasizing critical thinking and communication skills. I am keenly in favour of a “learning by doing” philosophy. Preparing for classes makes me gauge the depth of my understanding of different topics and interacting with students often forces me to consider things that I might have overlooked.