I'm a researcher at Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (Department of Animal Biology) and at Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (MARE). My research primarily addresses questions relating to biodiversity and resilience of marine ecosystems to improve the understanding about their functioning (patterns, processes and threats). After studied the functional response of marine fish assemblages to human-induced changes (MSc and PhD research), I understood that a new multi-taxa approach would be needed to advance the knowledge on ecosystem’s vulnerability (important to prioritize areas for conservation). Thus, since 2014 I'm studying the resilience of marine ecosystems by assessing functional diversity across different biological groups and habitat types, recently incorporating the challenge of modelling complex networks of interactions (ecological networks).

During my professional path I gained a vast experience not only on survey several aquatic biological assemblages (bio-film, plankton, invertebrates, fish) using different types of sampling methods (which include underwater visual census), but also on modeling biodiversity patterns (including different spatial and temporal scales and complexity levels like food webs). My major motivation  is to improve the understanding of marine ecosystems functioning and the conservation actions needed to prevent biodiversity loss.