I finished my degree in Biology in 2009 at Technical University of Lisbon, where I started my research activities by analysing the environmental factors that determine the distribution of fish communities in the Tagus' hydrographic basin. I completed my M.Sc. degree in Biodiversity, Genetics and Evolution in 2011 at CIBIO/UP and FCUP. My master thesis was based on the application of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) techniques for water detection in the Sahara-Sahel transition zone, in order to identify potential dispersal corridors for relict populations of crocodiles (Crocodylus suchus) in Mauritania. In 2012, I collaborated with the Societas Europaea Herpetologica by working on the compilation of the new Atlas of Amphibians and Reptiles in Europe and on the biogeographical analyses of the European herpetofauna.

Currently, I am a Ph.D. student at CIBIO/UP and IBE (CSIC-UPF, Barcelona). I am focusing my research on habitat connectivity in desert environments, exploring GIS and RS tools for the identification of environmental and landscape factors that can influence the genetic diversity patterns and gene flow levels among populations. Water-dependent species from North Africa, particularly in Mauritania, represent the main targets of my study.

Until now, I have participated in 7 scientific papers and in 4 fieldwork missions to North Africa (Morocco and Mauritania). I am also collaborating in the short term project “Conservation status of Papio papio, Crocodylus suchus and Agama boulengeri in Mauritania”, funded by Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, and in the “DIVERSITY II” project, funded by the European Space Agency.

Useful Links:

Research ID: http://www.researcherid.com/rid/L-7901-2013

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9144-4680