I am an ecologist with a primary focus on the conservation of freshwater ecosystems. My ongoing research at C-PREE addresses how riparian vegetation can be managed to enhance its buffering potential against the impacts of land use on freshwater systems, while also supporting terrestrial biodiversity in tropical regions. My ultimate goal is to provide evidence that can guide policies and regulations aimed at reconciling land use with the conservation of freshwater environments and ecotones. In this endeavor, I will closely collaborate with Professors David Wilcove (C-PREE) and Xingli Giam (University of Tennessee).

My academic journey includes the attainment of a PhD in Ecology from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS - Brazil), enriched by a split tenure in the University of Washington (School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences - Julian Olden’s lab). Additionally, I hold a Master's degree in Animal Biology from UFRGS and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Feevale University (Brazil).

In the last few years I was a visiting Professor in the Ecology and Evolution program of the Federal University of Goias (UFG) and before that I obtained a postdoctoral degree at the same University, in the Animal Biodiversity graduate program. The most recent graduate students under my supervision worked with (i) priority areas for the conservation of fish diversity in the Araguaia basin - Brazil (Pedro Brito); (ii) effects of pasture land use (cattle livestock) on leaf litter processing in streams of Cerrado biome (Gabriel Baiocchi); (iii) plant mites as bioindicators of environmental sustainability in citriculture (Vanessa Falchi); (iv) transferability of bioindicators across space for assessing freshwater integrity (Victoria Sousa); and (v) effects of fragmentation by dams on fish diversity across time (Jeanne Valerio).