Dr. Melina de Souza Leite
- Wichtige Informationen: My research interests are in Ecology and Data Science, most specifically in forest ecology and demography, applied landscape ecology, and community ecology. All of them using a data-driven and statistical modeling approach.
About me
I am an Ecologist and Data Scientist, currently working as the data scientist/scientific programmer of the Theoretical Ecology lab, University of Regensburg.
You can find my publications and research output on:
You can contact me via email melina.souza-leite(at)ur.de or find me in my office WNW E4._2.103.
Research Interests
I have been working mostly in forest ecology, tree demography, community ecology & landscape ecology. All of them using a data-driven and statistical modeling approach.
I have been teaching R and computational tools for Open Science. I'm an enthusiast of the Open Science movement, on computational reproducibility, fair open data and publications. I'm also interested in gender balance in science.
I am co-developing the R package DHARMa (externer Link, öffnet neues Fenster) for Residual Diagnostics for Hierarchical (Multi-Level / Mixed) Regression Models.
CV
Professional Experience
| Apr 2026 - now | Data Scientist/Scientific Programmer at Uni. Regensburg, Germany |
| Sep 2024 - Mar 2026 | PostDoc at University of Regensburg, Germany |
| Aug 2010 - Aug 2024 | Data Scientist /Research assistant at the University of São Paulo, Brazil |
| Oct 2023 - Feb 2024 | PostDoc at University of Bayreuth, Germany |
| Jan 2023- Mar 2023 | Visiting Researcher at Leiden University, The Netherlands |
| Jun 2009 - Jul 2010 | Environmental Consultant, Brazil |
Education
| Jun 2017 - Dec 2022 | PhD in Ecology, University of São Paulo, Brazil |
| Oct 2021 - Jun 2023 | MBA in Data Science and Analytics, University of São Paulo, Brazil |
| Nov 2015 - Aug 2017 | MBA in Environmental Management, University of São Paulo, Brazil |
| Mar 2007 - Jul 2009 | MSc in Ecology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Mar 2003 - Feb 2006 | BSc in Biology (major Ecology), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
Selected Publication
- Leite, M. de S., Rettelbach D, Hartig F (2025) Dispersion tests in generalised linear mixed‑effects models: a methods comparison and practical guide in Ecology EcoevoRxiv.
- Barreto JR, Romitelli I, Santana PC, Assis APA, Pardini R, Leite, M. de S.* (2025) Is the audience gender‑blind? Smaller attendance in female talks highlights an imbalanced visibility in academia. npj Biodiversity 4:28. Citation: 5. *senior author.
- Leite, M. de S., McMahon, S. M., Prado, P. I., Davies, S. J., Oliveira, A. A. de, …, Visser, M.D & Hülsmann, L. (2024). Major Axes of Variation in Tree Demography across Global Forests*. Ecography, e07187. Citation: 3. *EDITOR’S CHOICE of the June 2024 Issue.
- Hülsmann, L., Chisholm, R. A., Comita, L., Visser, M. D., Leite, M. de S., … Hartig, F. (2024). Latitudinal Patterns in Stabilizing Density Dependence of Forest Communities. Nature, 1–8. Citations: 58.
- Leite, M. de S., Boesing, A. L., Metzger, J. P., & Prado, P. I. (2022). Matrix quality determines the strength of habitat loss filtering on bird communities at the landscape scale. Journal of Applied Ecology, 59(11), 2790–2802. Citations: 28.
- Oberpriller, J., Leite, M. de S., & Pichler, M. (2022). Fixed or Random? On the Reliability of Mixed‑Effects Models for a Small Number of Levels in Grouping Variables.* Ecology and Evolution, 12(7), e9062. Citations: 96. *Prize for 2022‑2023 Top cited and Top Downloaded Paper of Ecology & Evolution
- Locosselli, G. M., Brienen, R. J. W., Leite, M. de S., Gloor, M., Krottenthaler, S., Oliveira, A. A. de, Barichivich, J., Anhuf, D., Ceccantini, G. Schöngart, J., & Buckeridge, M. (2020). Global Tree‑Ring Analysis Reveals Rapid Decrease in Tropical Tree Longevity with Temperature. PNAS, 117(52), 33358–33364. Citations: 132.
- Leite, M. de S., Tambosi, L. R., Romitelli, I., & Metzger, J. P. (2013). Landscape Ecology Perspective in Restoration Projects for Biodiversity Conservation : A Review. Perspectives in Ecology & Conservation (Natureza & Conservação), 11(2), 108–118. Citations: 105.