Bachelor's degree from the Molecular Sciences Course at the University of São Paulo (2003), PhD in Astronomy from the Institute of Astronomy, Geophysics and Atmospheric Sciences (IAG-USP) in 2009 and post-doctorate from the same institute (2012). He was coordinator of the Sirius/CNPEM Carnaúba Group (until 2023), being responsible for the development, commissioning and operation of the accelerator's nanofocus beamline. He is currently an assistant professor in the Chair of Geobiology at the Department of Sedimentary and Environmental Geology at the Institute of Geosciences at the University of São Paulo. He works in the areas of Geobiology, Astrobiology and Planetary Sciences. He is also an associate researcher at the Astrobiology Research Unity, NAP-Astrobio (IAG/USP) and has experience in studying the effects of radiation on chemical and biological systems, from micro to macro scales. He uses theoretical, experimental and fieldwork tools to study the interaction of life with its environment, in order to extrapolate information on current life in extreme regions of the Earth, and on past life in the fossil record, to other planets. Using advanced analytical techniques, he is contributing to the development of the new and growing field of nanopaleontology and geomicrobiology. He also works with the phenomenon of the origin of life, its adaptation to planetary surfaces and the habitability of the Solar System, including using space platforms. (Source: Lattes Curriculum)
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Defining whether a particular structure in the geological or mineral record is of biological origin or not is an intrinsically multi-scale and multidisciplinary problem, and one of the most challenging in modern science. For the study of the history of our planet, especially in the deepest times, in the Precambrian, minerals are the basis for the characterization of the traces of microbia…
The Sairecabur volcano (5971 m), at the Atacama Desert, is a high-altitude extreme environment with high daily temperature variations, acidic soils, intense UV radiation and low availability of water. Four different species of yeasts were isolated from this region using oligotrophic media, identified and characterized for their tolerance to extreme conditions. rRNA sequencing revealed hig…
(Only some records are available in English at this moment)
In Earth's present-day sedimentary environments, dolomite precipitation is mostly mediated by microorganisms. The way in which these bacteria are capable of facilitating or inducing biomineralization has not yet been fully elucidated in the literature. However, it is known that some bacteria are capable of producing an EPS (extracellular polymeric substance) matrix that facilitates the fo…
The precipitation of carbonates by microorganisms has been studied for several applications, such as understanding the environment of pre-salt reserves where microbialites are found and, more recently, to help detect life on other planets and planetary objects. In the latter case, there is a difficulty in identifying biosignatures related to the determination of biogenicity, that is, conf…
Rocks from Archean and Proterozoic ages can provide important information about the origin and evolution of life on Earth, as well as the interaction between the biosphere and the other spheres of the planet. The oldest records of life on Earth have often their biogenicity questioned. Generally, rocks like these are explored using conventional techniques with spatial and spectral resoluti…
It has already been described that carbonates can be precipitated by prokaryotes by (i) altering their microenvironment with the addition or removal of ions and increase or decrease of pH; (ii) production of extracellular cell wall or organic compounds that capture or concentrate ions, as well as isolate the microenvironment from external variations; and (iii) passive deposition of the mi…
The precipitation of dolomite in the Earth's current sedimentary environments occurs, for the most part, mediated by microorganisms. The way in which these bacteria are able to facilitate or induce biomineralization has not yet been fully elucidated in the literature. However it is known that they secrete an EPS (extracellular polymeric substance) matrix that facilitates the formation of …
In this project, laboratory tests will be performed to investigate the photostability and resilience of biomolecules in simulated extraterrestrial environments using spectroscopic methods. The results will then be used to best define the detectability conditions of spectroscopic biosignatures, with applications for the development of astrobiology experiments in small and low cost space mi…
(Only some records are available in English at this moment)
To understand the mechanism of carbonate mineralization by microorganisms is relevant to study the history of Early Earth, such as the formation of microbialites and carbonate deposits in the ocean. But there is still a difficulty in determining the biogenicity of minerals. Dolomite is a carbonate mineral commonly formed at high temperatures abiotically in nature, but there is great diffi…
Rocks from Precambrian ages can provide important information about the origin and evolution of life on Earth, as well as regarding the interaction between the biosphere and geosphere. The oldest records of life have often their biogenicity questioned. Materials like these have been explored using conventional techniques with spatial and spectral resolution limitations. Consequently, the …
The precipitation of dolomite in the Earth's modern sedimentary environments occurs, for the most part, mediated by microorganisms. The way in which bacteria are capable of facilitating or inducing mineral precipitation has not yet been fully elucidated. However, it is known that extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) secreted by bacteria facilitate the mineral nucleation and precipitat…
(Only some records are available in English at this moment)
| 4 / 4 | Completed research grants |
| 3 / 3 | Ongoing scholarships in Brazil |
| 7 / 6 | Completed scholarships in Brazil |
| 4 / 4 | Completed scholarships abroad |
| 18 / 17 | All research grants and scholarships |
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CV Lattes
ORCID