BSc

My journey began at the University of Aveiro, Portugal, where I enjoyed several years doing my degree in Biology with a minor in management (2006-2010). I then travelled to the neighbouring Spain to undertake a year-long research internship (2010-2011), under a European Erasmus scholarship. Specifically, I joined the Ethology Lab of Dr. Enrique Font, at the Institute of Cavanilles, Universitat de València. In this lab, I studied the brain lateralization of Podarcis hispanicus, through foraging and tonic immobility tasks. For the first time, I had the opportunity to work with animal behaviour and lizards – I fell in love with both the subject and these amazing creatures. I also discovered a thrilling part of me: a field biologist. There was no turning back.

 

MSc

I did my Master's degree at CIBIO-InBIO, University of Porto, Portugal (2011-2013). These two years were far more enriching than I could ever imagined. Supervised by Dr James Harris and Dr Ana Perera, I used lacertids from Portugal and Morocco as model species (Podarcis bocagei, P. vaucheri, and Scelarcis perspicillata) to study the effects of blood parasites on their performance, behaviour, immune system, and ecophysiology. This extensive research involved many hours in the field, working under a microscope, in the genetic lab, on the computer, and of quality time with my lizards. You can see some of our results in the Publications.

 

PhD

After some months of working on various projects (Field Work and Side Projects below), I was proudly awarded an International PhD scholarship (IPRS) at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. Read all about it on my PhD Project page.

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Side Projects

Throughout my research journey, I have had the opportunity to join many different fascinating projects (read more about it here). Moreover, I have also embraced other side projects. I worked as research technician on two different projects, about 1) the molecular systematics of sponges as part of the European SPECIAL Project, and 2) the detection, identification, primer testing, and optimization of blood parasite species infecting reptiles. Additionally, I have organized several conferences and weekly seminars, and I was also involved in developing teaching material for children.