Tell us a bit about the work you are/will be doing at CCMAR.
As a PhD student here in CCMAR I intend to study the deep-sea elasmobranchs, which are bycatch from the crustacean bottom-trawlers in the coast of Algarve. My goals are to make use of non-lethal approaches to evaluate their overall condition and survival rates through stable isotopes analysis and nucleic acids ratios (RNA/DNA).

What were you doing before you joined us?
The past year I was away from scientific research while waiting for the FCT results of my scholarship. Before that, I was doing my master here in the University of Algarve in Marine and Coastal Systems and my master thesis was also about deep-sea sharks where I analysed their diet and trophic position using stable isotopes analysis and nucleic acids ratios (RNA/DNA).

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I love being in direct contact with nature, either enjoying a nice sunny day at the beach, scuba diving or either hiking or biking in the forest. I am also a rock climber enthusiast. In my daily life, I feel like meditating when I wake up and getting ready for the day with a nice cup of tea. Whenever I manage to find some time by the end of the day, I really enjoy walking my dog to the Ria Formosa or to the beach to watch one of the most beautiful sunsets in the world.