About

I was born in Brazil, where I started pursuing a career in Biology. Lucky enough to be an aspiring biologist in a mega-diverse country, I was soon attracted by the astonishing tropical biodiversity. Arthropods, in particular, fascinated me: they are everywhere, the marvelous details of their bodies can be easily seen on a microscope, and the little dramas of their natural history are continually unfolding around us. Despite being the most diverse group of animals, they are severely understudied. In my research, I combine different methods (field work, morphological studies, and DNA sequencing) to understand and reveal the diversity of spiders.

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My interests outside academia include gardening, hiking, photographs, comics, gaming, music (mainly from the 70's), swing dancing, and cats.