M.Sc. 1992 with Vera Fonseca de Almeida Val; Ph.D. 2000 with Maria Iracilda da Cunha Sampaio; sabbatical 2003 with James Cheverud; sabbatical 2014–2015 with Jack Sites
Employment
2015 – present Associate professor of Genetics, Institute of Natural Sciences, Universidade Fededal do Amazonas (UFAM)
2002 – present Adjunct researcher, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)
1992 – 2015 Associate professor of Biology, Institute of Natural Sciences, Universidade Federal do Amazonas (ICB - UFAM)
1989 – 1992 Assistant professor of Biology, Institute of Natural Sciences, Universidade Federal do Amazonas (ICB - UFAM)
Education
1996 – 2000 Ph.D. Biological Sciences at Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA)
1988 – 1992 M.Sc. in Freshwater Biology and Fisheries program at Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)
1984 – 1987 B.S. in Biological Sciences at Universidade Federal do Amazonas (UFAM)
Research interests
I use molecular data to study patterns and processes of diversification in Amazonian vertebrates. Most of the organisms my laboratory is studying come from the várzea and igapó regions of the Amazon basin. Várzea and igapó regions are seasonally flooded forests of the Amazon basin. They represent approximately 3% of the land area of the Amazon basin, and are the most endangered ecosystem of the Amazon basin. I am primarily interested in fishes and primates, but my students also work on aquatic mammals, crocodilians, and turtles. Several students also work on birds. Studies are done in an ecological context, with nearly all projects having laboratory and field components. Many of the studies are done collaboratively, especially with ecologists and field biologist. Collaborations are national as well as international.
Student projects are a mixture those proposed by me to prospective students as well as those proposed by prospective students to me. I encourage my students to independently develop projects and to actively engage in their research, and when appropriate to seek sources of funding for their studies. I also encourage my Ph.D. students to visit other laboratories to gain experience and learn new methods and techniques. I expect my students to produce high quality work that is publishable in internationally recognized peer reviewed journals.