T (Tomonari) Matsuo

I completed my BSc in Forest & Biomaterials Science and MSc in Environmental Science & Technology (Focused in forest ecology) at the Kyoto university in Japan. Early in my career, I got intrigued by the secondary succession and light competition among tree individuals. Thus, I did BSc and MSc thesis related to that topic conducting my fieldwork in different locations in Japan (Wakayama: Warm temperate forest and Cool temperate forest) and in Mexico (Chajul and Loma Wet tropical forest). I also went to Indonesia, Malaysia and southern part of Mexico to see different vegetation dynamics in different types of tropical forests. In addition to those experiences, my exchange program to stay in Wageningen university for a year drove me to go deep into forest ecology and I decided to continue my academic career.

My PhD project is the continuation of those efforts since now I focus on the understanding of the different drivers on early vegetation dynamics in tropical forests. I want my research also to help in the conservation and restoration of all ecological systems, and especially in that of tropical forests. I expect that my PhD in Wageningen life will be the best starting point for my further career.