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BiMaLab connects people from many institutions working on several projects focusing the processes and patterns of vertebrate diversity and assembly rules. Most of us study mammals, birds, or both, but we are welcoming new researchers working on other organisms. Most are based in Porto Alegre, Brazil, but we are basically a network of people from many places with a passion for the study of evolutionary and ecological patterns and nature conservation. We are proud to be an example of nationality and gender equality in research.

Maria João Ramos Pereira (PhD Universidade de Lisboa 2011)
Assistant Professor at the Zoology Department, UFRGS. Member of the PPGBAN and PPGEcologia, UFRGS. Collaborator at CESAM and Wildlife Research Unit, UA. Coordinator of the BiMaLab, in her research Maria João integrates studies in ecology, phylogeography and population genetics, ecology of infectious agents and ecological modelling, to understand ecological and evolutionary patterns of vertebrate diversity. In 2019 and again in 2021 she was elected Vice-President of the Brazilian Bat Research Society – SBEQ. Vice-President of the Brazilian Mammalogy Society for the 2024-2027 mandate.

Flávia Pereira Tirelli (PhD, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, 2017)
Flávia is a FAPERGS/CNPq 07/2022 postdoctoral fellow at the Bird and Mammal Evolution, Systematics and Ecology Lab at UFGRS, coordinated by Prof. Maria João Pereira. Working on the project “How do felines coexist in the Atlantic Forest-Pampa ecotone in Rio Grande do Sul? Investigating a global biodiversity hotspot for the group”, among several other projects on the ecology and conservation of terrestrial mammals. She is a permanent lecturer at the PPG-Animal Biology (PPGBAN), UFRGS, supervising undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students. Flávia is a member of the Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, an advisor to the Instituto Curicaca, a member of the GAT in the PAN dos Pequenos Felinos and the PAT Campanha Sul-Serra do Sudeste. In addition, Flávia acts as taxon coordinator (Felidae) for the definition of the conservation status of Brazilian carnivores (CENAP-ICMBio) and is the coordinator of Geoffroy’s Cat Working Group (international network for the conservation of the big cat and sympatric felids). She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Brazilian Society of Mastozoology (2021-2024) and of the Cat Specialist Group/IUCN.

Lilian Sander Hoffmann (PhD, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, 2004)
Currently doing post-doctoral studies at the PPG Environmental Oceanography (PPGOA), UFES, with the project “Passive acoustic monitoring (MAP) and its implications for access to cetacean biodiversity and the impacts of anthropogenic noise in the coastal waters of Espírito Santo”. She is a collaborating researcher with the Archipelago and Oceanic Islands Program/MCTIC/Brazilian Navy, where she works on bioacoustics, behavior, ecology, genetics and cetacean conservation. She has experience in Zoology, with an emphasis on marine mammals, working mainly on the following topics: bioacoustics, animal behavior and social organization, but with a special interest in studies involving the evolution and function of animal communication systems.

Izidoro Sarmento do Amaral (PhD, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, 2023)
Project: Expanding knowledge about Tadarida brasiliensis (i. Geoffroy, 1824) (chiroptera, molossidae) in South America: genetic diversity, population structure, demographic history and predictive distribution
PhD (2023) in Diversity and Wildlife Management from the UNISINOS, he currently serves on the board of the Brazilian Society for the Study of Chiroptera (SBEQ), 2023-2025. During his master’s degree (2019), he evaluated the activity and death patterns of bats in wind towers. He is interested in the ecology and monitoring of mammals, bat conservation and environmental licensing of projects in the electricity sector.

Luana Biz (MSc, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, 2019)
Project: Macroecological processes and patterns of diversity of ectoparasites (Streblidae and Nycteribiidae) of bats (Chiroptera) evaluated under the paradigms of island biogeography and epidemiological modeling.
PhD student at PPGEcologia/UFRGS. She is interested in the ecology and parasitology of mammals, especially bats. She is currently trying to understand the patterns of interaction between bats and their ectoparasitic flies on a macroecological scale, with the study area being the entire Neotropical Region. Within its questions, it also aims to evaluate processes of extinction and coextinction, working as a main factor with the shelter ecology of bats, and which key species are essential for maintaining networks of functional interactions. And finally, how the classic theory of island biogeography can explain parasitic patterns in cave-dwelling bats.

Rogério Nunes Oliveira (MSc Universidade Estadual de Goiás, 2019)
Project: Spatial and trophic ecology of Panthera onca: evaluations at the global and rgional scales
PhD student at PPGBAN, UFRGS, Rogério has worked with mammals, especially felids. His PhD project focus the conservation of the largest neotropical felid, the jaguar (Panthera onca) across its neotropical distribution. During his graduation, he worked with aspects of the reproductive success of native plant species in the Cerrado biome, and during his masters’ studies he investigated whether Fidicina mannifera (Cicadidae) could promote a pulse of nutrients in two cerrado phytophysiognomies.

Marina Ochoa Favarini (MSc, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, 2011)
Project: Behavior and ecology of the maracajá cat in anthropized areas of the Pampa biome region.
She is currently a PhD student at the PPG in Animal Biology (PPGBAN) . She works in the areas of Animal Ecology and Conservation, with a focus on small cats and other Neotropical carnivores. She is a researcher at the Instituto Pró-carnívoros, working on the Pampa Feline Conservation Project. She is also a member of international working groups such as Geoffroy’s Cat Working Group, Pampas Cat WG, Ocelot WG and Tiger Cat Conservation Initiative, which focus on conservation practices. She has worked professionally as a freelance environmental consultant in the areas of mastozoology and environmental education.

Cíntia da Costa (MSc, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, 2021)
Project: Evaluating the effects of fire on bat communities in neotropical savannas.
She is mainly interested in the ecology, biogeography, evolution, environmental impact and conservation of mammals, especially tropical bats. In her master’s thesis, she assessed the connectivity of the Pampa landscape for bats of different space-use guilds using occupancy models based on acoustic detection. Cíntia coordinated the Communication Secretariat of the Brazilian Society for the Study of Chiroptera (2019-2023).

Patrícia Paludo (MSc Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 2021)
Project: Historical and contemporary patterns and processes responsible for the acoustic diversity of Pampa birds.
PhD student in Animal Biology . I am a Biologist with a degree in Biological Sciences from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). I have a master’s degree in Animal Biology from the Postgraduate Program in Animal Biology at UFRGS, in which I researched the relationship between the occupation of Pampas grassland bird species and changes in the landscape. I am currently investigating the pattern of acoustic diversity of birds in the Pampa biome and the processes that led to this diversity on a macroevolutionary and biogeographic scale. I am interested in the areas of Ornithology, Biogeography, Bioacoustics, Environmental Education and Diversity in the Sciences.

Diego Esquivel (MSc, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, 2021)
Project: Systematics and evolution of neotropical bats of the tribe Phyllostomini (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae).
Diego holding a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas, Colombia, has completed his Master’s and is now pursuing his PhD. His graduate studies focused on the systematics and evolution of the neotropical bat genus Lophostoma. Diego’s research journey began with examining bat diversity patterns in the eastern foothills of Colombia. Currently, he delves into the cryptic diversity of neotropical bats, specifically the neotropical tribe Phyllostomini, employing cutting-edge genomic tools, morphological analyses, and geometric morphometrics. His academic interests encompass systematics, taxonomy, evolution, and conservation of mammals, particularly bats. Diego’s work is pivotal in uncovering hidden biodiversity and understanding evolutionary processes among these fascinating creatures.

Ana Mastella (MSc, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, 2018)
Project: Chemical Profiling in Non-Invasive Mammal Monitoring
Ana finished her MSc at PPGBAN, UFRGS, and her research interests include multiple aspects of mammal biology and ecology. She has particular interest in developing alternative non-invasive methods or species identification, mostly focusing carnivores, and her MSc project aimed at distinguishing Neotropical felids by feacal chromatography.

Jordani Dutra (MSc, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, 2022)
Project: Effects of defaunation of large felids on the ecology of small and medium carnivores in the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest.
PhD student in Animal Biology; PPGBAN. He completed his degree and master’s degree in carnivore ecology, with an emphasis on Procyonidae and Mephitidae in the Atlantic Forest and Pampa. He was an undergraduate and master’s student at BiMa-lab.

Marcelo Gehlen de Oliveira (MSc, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, 2022)
Project: Eco-evolutionary processes in Cingulata: temporal pattern, habitat suitability and eco-morphology of 21 armadillo species
PhD student at PPG Animal Biology (PPGBAN).Marcelo worked with systematics through morphometric approaches during his graduation and with spatial and temporal ecology of Xenarthra during his master’s, now developing a doctoral thesis incorporating various analytical methods in order to complement the little scientific knowledge available on the order Cingulata, the armadillos, throughout the Neotropical region.

Orlando Fabián Hernández Leal (MSc, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, 2024)
Project: Effect of agricultural intensification, microclimate and prey availability on the biodiversity and activity of insectivorous bats in the savanna ecoregion of Brazil-Uruguay.
PhD student at PPGECO – UFRGS. Orlando is interested in research and conservation of Neotropical mammals, mainly using acoustic tools to detect bats. Currently trying to assess the direct and indirect impacts of different levels of agricultural intensification on insectivorous bats and their potential prey in the Pampa biome.

Luisa Simões Pires Fabricio (Graduate Student, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul)
Project: Description of the acoustic repertoire of birds of the South American Icteridae
MSc student at PPGECO – UFRGS, interested in bird bioacoustics. Her thesis aims to describe the acoustic repertoire of passerines of the Icteridae family that inhabit the Pampa.

Mariana Guimarães Xavier da Costa (Graduate Student, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul)
Project: Site occupancy of small wild cats and the effects of a historically unprecedented flood on their spatial use.

MSc student at PPGBAN– UFRGS. Researching ecological patterns of small wild cats in southern Brazil. She is a volunteer with the Geoffroy’s Cat Working Group and the Felinos do Pampa research and conservation initiative, both focused on the conservation of Neotropical felids.

Larissa Oliveira Gonçalves (PhD, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, 2018)

Project: Prioritization for conservation: strategies for maintaining ecological connectivity on highways for endangered mammals.

Larissa is a posdoctoral at the Bird and Mammal Evolution, Systematics and Ecology Lab at UFGRS. She has a bachelor’s degree (2010) and a master’s degree (2013) in Biological Sciences and a doctorate (2018) in Ecology from the UFRGS. She works on planning measures to mitigate the environmental impacts of highways and on developing methodological and analytical protocols to assist in public policy. She is interested in the areas of ecology and biodiversity conservation, with a focus on assessing the environmental impacts caused by road infrastructure.

Elisa Berlitz Ilha (MSc, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, 2019)

Project: Social structure and individual variation in a population of river dolphins (Tursiops gephyreus) cooperating with artisanal gillnet fishing.

Elisa has a bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) and a master’s degree from the Graduate Program in Animal Biology (UFRGS). She is a doctoral student in the Graduate Program in Ecology (UFRGS) and technical manager of the Botos da Barra Project (CECLIMAR/CLN/UFRGS). She works in environmental monitoring and photo-identification of the population of Lahille’s dolphins (Tursiops gephyreus) residing in Barra do Rio Tramandaí (RS); in political advocacy for conservation (safeguarding and management instruments); and in communication (from the dialogue of traditional and scientific knowledge). She has experience and interest in cetacean data collection (on board, fixed point, and strandings), distribution and habitat use models, and conservation biology. She has experience and interest in ethnoecology; questionnaires, interviews, oral biographical methods, and participatory methodologies with fishing communities. She has experience in managing socio-environmental projects.

Maria Camila Valdés Cardona (BSc, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, 2021)

Project: Evaluation of acoustic recording subsampling schemes to measure the activity and functional diversity of insectivorous bats in the Colombian Llanos.

Camila has a bachelor degree in Biology and is a master’s student in Ecology at UFRGS. My main interests are bioacoustics and bat ecology, seeking to understand how they respond to habitat disturbances and landscape changes, especially those caused by human activities. My master’s project seeks to develop methodologies for analyzing large bioacoustic datasets and to assess the activity and functional diversity of insectivorous bats in the Colombian Llanos.

Giancarlo Nappi (BSc, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, 2023)

Project: Population density and daily activity pattern of Lycalopex gymnocercus

Giancarlo is master’s student in the Animal Biology Program at UFRGS, his thesis focuses on the study of canid populations in the Pampa biome.

Vinícius Rocha de Morais (Environmental Management Technologist, 2022, UNIASSELVI)

Project: Conservation evidence: an assessment of the impact of conservation actions for neotropical small cats in the Americas

Vinícius has a Bachelor degree in Environmental Management from the Leonardo da Vinci University Center (UNIASSELVI) and is master’s student in the Animal Biology Program at UFRGS. He worked for five years as an environmental monitor for the Rio Grande do Sul State Secretariat for the Environment and Infrastructure (SEMARS) at Itapeva State Park (Torres/RS). He currently works as an assistant researcher at the Pro-Carnivores Institute, managing conservation actions for the little spotted cat on the northeast coast of Rio Grande do Sul, through the “Felinos de Itapeva” project. Since 2022, he has received funding from SWCCF, the MbZ Fund, and support from other Brazilian and international institutions. Since 2021, he has also served as an assistant researcher for the TCCI working group and, more recently, for the GCWG group. He prefers non-invasive research methods and is interested in terrestrial mammal ecology, statistics applied to ecology, wild cat conservation, socio-environmental education, and human-cat coexistence initiatives. He works especially with the Atlantic Forest biome and the species Leopardus guttulus.

Alumni

Diego Dalmolin (PhD Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 2019)
We tragically lost Diego to lymphoma in June 2023. Diego, who graduated in Biological Sciences from the UNIVATES University Centre in 2012, completed his PhD at PPGBAN, UFRGS. His research focused on amphibian ecology, conducted in collaboration with the Laboratório de Ecologia e Evolução de Vertebrados Terrestres at UNISINOS. Diego’s work delved into patterns of species richness, distribution, and co-occurrence across various spatial and temporal scales. Beyond his academic pursuits, Diego was known for his remarkable humanity and unwavering dedication as a science educator in state and municipality schools throughout the Porto Alegre region.

Danielle Franco (PhD Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 2021)
Interested mainly in ecology and bird conservation, Dani recently concluded her PhD on the project Conservation of birds in the Atlantic Forest: present and future of deforestation and climate change at multiple scales. Graduated in Biological Sciences and with an MSc in Animal Biology from UFRGS, she was research fellow under the SISBIOTA project in the same university from 2011 to 2013. Presently she works in the private sector, in the area of sustainble farming chains.

Adriana Arias Aguilar (PhD Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 2021)
Adri concluded her PhD at PPGBAN, UFRGS, and her research interests include mammal ecology, especially of neotropical bats. Mainly, she focuses on the study of the sounds emitted by bat species and how those sounds can be used to understand some ecological processes. Her work has focused mainly on using bioacoustics as a tool for studying the patterns of activity of insectivorous bats at different landscape and climate conditions and species acoustic identification.
Furthermore, she is interested in bat conservation and in illustration as a tool for environmental education. She coordinated the Campos Sulinos Secretariate of the Brazilian Bat Research Society – SBEQ. She is now teaching at Tropical Ecology Courses in Costa Rica.

Alex Otesbelgue (BSc, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, 2022)
Project: Is the sound emitted by hives of a species of stingless bee (Jataí) altered when they are exposed to insecticide contamination of the air?
Biologist, master’s student in PPGECO. He has participated in several research projects on the reproduction, development and behavior of stingless bees, as well as analyzing the effects of pesticides on these animals. He is currently interested in bioacoustics.

Maria Eduarda Soares Alberti (Bachelor’s degree, Universidade de Passo Fundo, 2023)
Project: Population density and activity of Leopardus guttulus (Hensel, 1872) in its distribution limit in southern Brazil
Master’s student at PPGBAN/UFRGS, Maria Eduarda is interested in the research and conservation of small neotropical cats. She is currently a volunteer with the Brazilian Society of Mastozoology, Geoffroy’s Cat Working Group and the Felinos do Pampa conservation project.

Filipe Ferreira (MSc Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 2021)
Project: Influence of grazing and fire on abandoned fields in Campos Sulinos / Fauna Digital do Rio Grande do Sul
Filiipe holds a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences (UFRGS). He is interested in all groups of mammals, especially primates and carnivores. He has particular interest in conservation, evolution, biogeography, taxonomy and systematics. Currently he is working with digital media towards animal conservation through the creation of the Fauna Digital do Rio Grande do Sul and is developing his PhD at PPGBotânica/UFRGS.

Lana Resende de Almeida (PhD Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 2021))
During her PhD research Lana investigated several ecological aspects of neotropical mustelids. During her MSc Lana worked on tthe influence of the quality of water on the occurence of the Neotropical Otter. Her research interests within mammalogy are ecology and conservation of carnivores. She graduated in Biological Sciences, UFRJ and was a CNPq fellow during her graduation period (2009-2013). In addition, she holds a postgraduate degree in Environmental Licensing and Management from UCAM (2019). She is now a post-doc in mammalian conservation at UFSB.

Rafael Imlau Cardoso (PhD Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 2021)
Rafael graduated in Biological Sciences (2013) and has a Master degree (2016) in Ecology. In his PhD at PPGEcologia/UFRGS, he applied several methods from community ecology and macroevolution to investigate ecological and evolutionary patterns and processes that have shaped the diversity of New World bats. He now teaches at IFFar,

Dênis Sana (PhD Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 2021)
Dênis worked for the Fauna Sector of the Biodiversity Department of the Rio Grande do Sul State Secretariat of Environment and Sustainable Development (SEFAU/DBIO/SEMA-RS), between 2014 and 2016. Specialist in biology and ecology of mammals, he is a research associate of the Instituto Pro-Carnívoros since 1998, and presently its Vice-President. He focuses on the study, management and conservation of the big Neotropical cats, puma and jaguar and he concluded his PhD on those topics in 2021. His current interests include the practical and legal aspects of nature and wildlife management abnd he is currently working in ICMBIO.

Ana Catarina Lino (PhD Universidade de Aveiro 2019)
Ana finished her PhD at UA, collaborating with UFRGS and UFMS. Her current research focused the genetic consequences of habitat heterogeneity in tropical bats. She graduated in Biology and Geology and has an MSc in Applied Biology (Ecology, Biodiversity and ecosystem management).

Filipa Peste (MSc Universidade de Évora 2008)
Filipa is currently a PhD student at UA, collaborating with UFRGS, UnB and UFRJ. She is looking on the bright side of night, as her PhD projects aims at revealing the cryptic bat fauna of the Cerrado biodiversity hotspot. Filipa graduated in 2002, UA, and until now her research focused several aspects of the ecology and conservation of birds and mammals, including the use of birds as indicators of environmental quality or towards the search of integrated solutions for managing biodiversity in wind farms, particularly the mitigation and compensation of impacts on birds and bats.

Mateus Zimmer (BSc Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 2019)
Mateus graduated in Biological Sciences at UFRGS. He continues his studies at BiMaLab during his MSc at PPGEcologia/UFRGS. He was the first scientific initiation volunteer at BiMa-Lab and was also scientific initiation fellow at the Rio Grande do Sul Zoobotanical Foundation His main interests include ecology, systematics and evolution of carnivores, especially of the Canidae and Ursidae. He now works at IDSM.

Valéria Machado (MSc Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 2022)
Valéria graduated in Biology at UFRGS. She recently concluded her MSc at PPGBAN, UFRGS. Her dissertation focused biogeographical aspects of the Mammalia. She is interested in ecology, behavior and conservation of mammals. During her graduation she studied the diversity of reproductive behaviour and parental care in mammals and the genetic and epigenetic factors related to the behavioural phenotype.

Beatriz Ribeiro de Figueiredo (MSc Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 2022)
Beatriz concluded her master’s at PPGBAN, UFRGS. Her interests include animal behavior, ecology and conservation of mammals, mainly carnivores. In her dissertation she evaluated differences in Nasua nasua vocalizations between the Atlantic Forest and the Pampa in Southern Brazil.

Erika Sant’Anna Petzhold (MSc Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 2021).
Graduated in Biological Sciences, Erika’s main interests include ecology, evolution and conservation of birds. She concluded her MSc at PPGBAN/UFRGS and in her dissertation she evaluated the landscape connectivity for birds from different trophic guilds in the Pampa.

Valentino Juarez Silva
Valentino is an undergraduate student UFRGS. He is mainly interested in evolution and zoology. At BiMaLab he worked with the Chiroptera collection.

Manoel Fontoura Rodrigues (PhD Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul 2013)
Postdoc researcher at BiMa-Lab until 2017, Manoel graduated in Biological Sciences, UFRGS (2006). MSc and PhD (Zoology) at PUCRS (2009 and 2013). Manoel has experience in genetics, and conservation, mostly focusing in the areas of taxonomy, population genetics, evolution, ecology and conservation of Neotropical mammals.

Josh Nightingale (MSc Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 2016)
Josh recently finished his PhD at UA. During his master at BiMaLab, he got his degree under the IMAE Program. He is mainly interested in bird ecology, especially migration, as well as wetland conservation. While conducting the second year of his master at the PPGEcologia/UFRGS, he was responsible for the project Habitat quality and foraging strategies of the Sanderling, Calidris alba, at Lagoa do Peixe, RS, Brazil. Josh graduated in Ecology at UEA with a year at UNM.

Carmen Dionísio (MSc Universidade de Aveiro 2016 & Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul 2017)
Carmen is mostly interested in bird ecology and conservation. She was a researcher under the PELD – Serra da Bodoquena project at UFMS and she responsible for the project Parrots response to environmental change: ecology and characterization of flagship species in biodiversity conservation. She graduated in Biology, UA and was a research fellow at EcoAves, UFT from 2012 to 2013.

Thais Stefanski Chaves (MSc Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 2017)
During her MSc at PPGBAN, UFRGS Thais focused on the management and effectiveness of protected areas, and on ecological studies applied to the management of protected areas and wildlife. She graduated in Biological Sciences, UFRGS and specialized as Technician in Environmental Monitoring and Control, IFRS. After travelling the South East Asia and Australia, she is now a successful confectioner in Porto Alegre.

Amrita Menon (MSc Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 2017)
Amrita joined BiMaLab under the IMAE Program in PPGEcologia/UFRGS. Amrita is mainly interested in ecology and conservation of mammals. Her dissertation focused the influences of different land uses on the diversity of bats using bioacoustics as a tool and also validating the use of automatic bat call analysis. Graduated with a BSc Environmental Science from UoB in 2013 and worked on marine sea turtles in India before the masters. She is currently back in India working on conservation unit management.

Gisele Bolze (MSc Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 2019)
Gisele concluded her MSc at PPGBAN, UFRGS, and in her dissertation she focused on habitat use and activity patterns of the ocelot in the Southern limit of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Her research interests include carnivore ecology and conservation, especially within the small Neotropical felids. She graduated in Biological Sciences, UFRGS.

Rhian Vilar da Silva Vieira (MSc Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 2019)
Rhian concluded his MSc at PPGBAN/UFRGS. He is interested in studies of biogeography, ecology and conservation of carnivores. His research was focused on ecological niche modeling and potential distribution of the genus Procyon.

Pedro Blaya Luz (MSc Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 2019)
Pedro did is MSc at PPGEcologia/UFRGS. He graduated in Biological Sciences, UFRGS, and worked with sea turtles for the most part of his graduation, both with nesting females and hatchlings, at Projeto TAMAR, and with stranded animals at UFRGS. In his dissertation Pedro modelled sea turtle strandings in the coast of Rio Grande do Sul.

Fernanda Ribeiro da Silva (MSc Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 2019)
Fernanda worked as a biologist at the Canoas Zoo where she dealt with wild animals that were kept ilegally in captivity or that arrived at the zoo due to human-wildlife conflicts. Her interests include wildlife management, especially decision-making on the destination of ilegally kept animals. In her MSc she investigated the origin of the animals received at zoos of the Porto Alegre region with the final goal of contributing to better decision-making on their destination and, when possible, their return to nature.

Isadora Brauner Lobato (MSc Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 2019)
Isadora did her MSc at PPGEcologia/UFRGS. Her research interests include ecology and conservation of mammals. She has particular interest in population ecology, mostly focusing bats. In her dissertation she focused on population ecology of the Brazilian free-tailed bat. She graduated in Biological Sciences at UFPel.

Paula Elisa Horn (MSc Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 2019)
Paula concluded her MSc at PPGBAN, UFRGS. She evaluated the potential effects of anthopogenic changes in land-use on the population density and occupancy of margay (Leopardus wiedii), an arboreal wild cat, in the Atlantic Forest of the south of Brazil.

Paloma Linck (MSc Universidade de Aveiro 2021)
Paloma focused her research at BiMaLab on spatial-temporal patterns of activity and population density of Puma concolor (Carnivora: Felidae). Her main research interests are carnivore ecology, conservation, and biogeography. She is now a PhD student at the University of Aveiro, Portugal.

Ítalo Rakowski (BSc Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 2017)
Ítalo graduated at UFRGS. His main interestes were conservation, ecology, evolution and biogeography of mammals. In his undergraduate dissertation he evaluated the importance of zoos for environmental education.

Natielle Pires (BSc Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 2017)
Natielle is focused her undergraduate dissertation research on spatial-temporal patterns of activity of the lesser grison Galictis cuja (Carnivora, Mustelidae). She is interested in systematics, ecology, ethology and mammal conservation, with emphasis on mustelids.

Pedro Papini (BSc Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 2018)
Pedro graduated in Biological Sciences. Between 2016 and 2018 he worked has volunteer scientific initiation fellow at BiMa-Lab. He was mainly interested in the study of primates, with focus on their ecology, evolution, behavior and conservation.

Mariana Scain Mazzochi (MSc Universidade Federal do Rio Grande 2023)
Graduated at UFRGS, Mariana was a scientific iniciation fellow at BiMa-Lab. Within ornithology, her main research interests are ecology, systematics, conservation and migration, especially of shorebirds and seabirds. She concluded her MSc at PPGO/FURG, where she worked with marine birds.

João Luís Carvalho (PhD Universidade de Aveiro 2019)
João has a PhD from the University of Aveiro. His areas of interest are population biology, ecology and management of ungulates and carnivores in the Iberian Peninsula. As a PhD student he evaluated the role of bottom-up processes on disease and population dynamics of large herbivore populations.

Milene Matos (PhD Universidade de Aveiro 2011)
Collaborator at the Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Biology, UA & CESAM. Her research spans biodiversity conservation, natural resources management, and environmental education. She is focused on science communication and outreach, coordinating several projects on sustainability, aiming at building bridges between science and people. Milene is the responsible for the image of the Wildlife Research Unit and for the beautiful logo of BiMa-Lab.