EDUCATION
2004 - 2008
Bachelor of Science, Biological Sciences. Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP).
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2008 - 2010
Master of Science, Aquaculture Center of São Paulo State University.
Thesis: Use of Aloe vera During the Handling of Matrinxã (Brycon amazonicus). Supervisor: Profa. Elisabeth C. Urbinati.
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2010 - 2014
Doctor of Philosophy, Aquaculture Center of São Paulo State University.
Thesis: Modulating Action of Cortisol and Aloe vera on the Innate Immune Response of Fish. Supervisor: Profa. Elisabeth C. Urbinati. Part of Ph.D performed at Memorial University, NL, Canada.
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WORK EXPERIENCE
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I worked as a Specialist in Animal Nutrition at Biorigin’s R&D (“green industry”) center from 2015 to 2016, where I developed new feed additives for animal nutrition that focused on animal health. During that year, I was responsible for scientific communication, the development of new products (focusing on solutions for the aquaculture feed industry), the testing of product efficacy and providing technical support to the sales department and staff. I developed two new products for animal nutrition and I also took the lead on a number of projects and supervised a large group of personnel (administrative experience).
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Currently, I am working as a senior post-doctoral fellow in the laboratory of Prof. Dr. Kurt Gamperl at Memorial University, where we are investigating the impact of climate change on salmon aquaculture (project titled “Mitigating the Impact of Climate-Related Challenges on Salmon Aquaculture”). This is a multi-institutional (Memorial, University of Prince Edward Island, University of Waterloo and University of Guelph) research program that is looking at the effects of environmental conditions on the physiology, behavior and immunology of farmed salmon, with the goals of: developing mitigation strategies and tools for better assessing fish health; improving vaccine formulations; and selecting broodstock that are more resistant to both pathogens and environmental stressors. In this research, we have determined the lethal and sublethal environmental limits of current salmon stocks, and are now developing functional and diagnostic assays for assessing fish health and vaccine / treatment efficacy. This project is a highly integrated research program, which uses a variety of different approaches (respirometry, assessments of cardiac function, functional genomics, and metabolic, immune and stress measurements) to identify potential biomarkers of temperature and hypoxia tolerance, and immune function, in salmon, and then develops ELISA assays for functional proteins that would be of use to both aquaculture researchers and the industry itself.
RESEARCH TECHNIQUES / APPROACHES
These include: respirometry, cardiorespiratory physiology (measurements of metabolic rate, aerobic scope and swimming ability), fish behavior assays (assessment of personality traits, anti-predator defense responses), the development of indirect and sandwich ELISA assays (i.e., quantification of functional proteins), haematological measurements, immunological assays (respiratory burst, lysozyme and complement system), flow cytometry (leucocyte counting), biochemical assays, enzymatic assays, functional genomics (qPCR), nutrition trials (focusing on novel ingredients or feed additives), experimental designs and statistical analysis.
Fish handling/management skills: surgery for the implantation of cannula and flow probes, blood sampling, intraperitoneal injection, hormones application (spawning), water-quality parameters, transport, feeding, dissection for sampling and management in general.