Manuel Ballesteros
Marine biologist by profession and passionate about nature and biodiversity in general. He obtained a degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Barcelona in 1975 and a PhD from the same university in 1980 with the thesis entitled “Contribución al conocimiento de los Sacoglosos y Nudibranquios. Estudio anatómico, sistemático y faunístico de las especies del Mediterráneo español”, which received the distinction Sobresaliente cum laude.
After several years devoted to teaching biology in secondary education in both private and public schools, since 1984 he has been Associate Professor of Zoology at the Faculty of Biology of the University of Barcelona, where he has taught undergraduate and bachelor’s courses in Biology and Marine Sciences, including General Zoology, Invertebrates, Applied Zoology, Biology of Marine Invertebrates, Applied Animal Biology, Marine Zoology and Fisheries. He has also taught doctoral and master’s courses in Biodiversity and Marine Sciences, including Malacology, Management of Terrestrial Fauna, Management of Marine Fauna, Exploitation of Marine Animal Resources, Biology of Marine Species of Commercial Interest, Polar Oceans, Invertebrate Practicum and Biodiversity of Marine Animal Species.
A specialist in the study of “opisthobranch” molluscs (sea slugs in the broad sense, currently included within the subclass Heterobranchia of Gastropoda) from 1975 to the present, he has also pursued other research lines such as algal-associated invertebrates, marine benthic communities, natural resources of the soft bottoms of the Maresme coast, assessment and mapping of littoral sea urchin populations along the Catalan coast, epibionts of marine aquaculture, marine communities settled on experimental surfaces, a pilot project for the reintroduction of the triton shell (Charonia lampas) in the Costa Brava (Girona, Spain), invertebrate communities of the continental shelf and slope, and polychaetes of commercial interest on the Maresme coast.
He has published more than 130 scientific and popular articles on these topics and serves as a referee for articles in more than a dozen international scientific journals. He was a member of the UB Consolidated Research Group “Biologia i Ecologia Bentòniques” (BEB) until 2022 and is currently a member of the UB Consolidated Research Group “Marine Biodiversity and Evolution”.
Throughout his professional career he has participated in more than 20 national and international research projects and in numerous sampling campaigns in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Antarctica, both in coastal areas and aboard oceanographic vessels such as the B.O. García del Cid, the B.O. Francisco de P. Navarro, the B.I.O. Hespérides, the B.O. Georges Petit of the Laboratoire Arago in Banyuls-sur-Mer (France), and the R.V. Polarstern of the AWI in Bremerhaven, Germany.
He has delivered numerous lectures and courses in schools, universities and private institutions on “opisthobranch” molluscs, Antarctic invertebrates, Mediterranean invertebrates and molluscs or marine biology in general. He has also attended more than 50 national and international congresses, symposia or scientific meetings, where he has presented more than 70 scientific communications, either oral presentations or posters. He is a full member of the Spanish Malacological Society (SEM) since its foundation, an honorary member of the Catalan Malacological Society (SCM), and a full member of the Catalan Institution of Natural History (ICHN). He was part of the Organizing Committee of the II National Congress of Malacology held in Barcelona in 1980, later served as president of the Organizing Committee of the X National Congress of Malacology held in Barcelona in 1984, and was also co-organizer of the XIV Iberian Symposium on Marine Benthic Studies (SIEBM), held in Barcelona in 2006.
A recreational diver since 1976, he holds a 1st Class (***) CMAS certification and nitrox qualification, with experience gained in more than 1,500 dives carried out in the Mediterranean, Atlantic, Red Sea, Maldives, Caribbean and Antarctica. A founding member of the Club d’Immersió Biologia (CIB) of Barcelona, he served as its president from 1983 to 1991. An expert in scientific underwater photography and underwater video, in 1992 he was a pioneer in Spain in the use of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) for scientific purposes. For his research he has frequently used the scanning electron microscope of the Scientific and Technical Services of the University of Barcelona. His abbreviated professional CV is available at Sira.
Currently retired from university teaching activities since the end of 2022, in 2023 he was appointed Emeritus Professor of the University of Barcelona. Despite his retirement as a university professor, and due to his great interest in nature, he continues to write scientific and popular articles (available at ResearchGate) and participates as co-editor of two websites devoted to sea slugs (https://opistobranquis.info) and marine life in general (https://vidamarina.info). He also works, at the request of publishing houses, translating or reviewing book texts related to marine life or nature in general.
He continues diving along the Catalan coast and frequently undertakes field excursions on land to photograph plants, fungi, insects and other arthropods. In his personal life, he has practiced competitive athletics in long-distance running, both on track (where he was three-time Spanish champion in the 3,000 m steeplechase in the veterans category) and on road races and marathons, and holds the official qualification of National Athletics Coach.
Those wishing to contact him may do so via email at: mballesteros@ub.edu
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Contact Dr. Manuel Ballesteros
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