I was awarded in 2015 with a PhD

scholarship from Macquarie University,

Sydney, Australia.

​

I completed my PhD at The Lizard Lab, where I had the privilege of being mentored by Dr Martin Whiting (Macquarie University) and co-supervised by Dr James Harris (CIBIO-InBIO).

​

My research focused on a small lizard, the Italian Wall Lizard (Podarcis siculus), which can hitchhike, reach new locations worldwide, and become invasive. I examined how different behavioural components can contribute to its invasive success. Although I was based in Sydney, I studied a population of this invasive species in Lisbon, conducting my field and lab work in Portugal.

 

​Specifically, I studied its behavioural flexibility, use of social information, behavioural traits, and competitive ability — features that should be crucial fot its invasive potential! Check out the Publications' section if you would like to learn about our results!​

​