I am a biological oceanographer investigating how physics regulates marine ecosystems and the biological carbon pump.
My research focuses on biophysical interactions—the mechanisms through which physical forcing (mixing, stratification, circulation)
shapes phytoplankton dynamics, particle formation, and carbon export efficiency. I use autonomous platforms, particularly ocean gliders,
to observe these processes at high resolution across timescales from hours to seasons in remote and poorly sampled regions.
Much of my work examines polar and subpolar environments, where intense seasonality in light and mixing generates ephemeral but productive ecosystems
with disproportionate influence on global carbon storage. Recent projects include wintertime observations in the Labrador Sea,
where deep convection resets biological and biogeochemical conditions annually, and investigations of how mesoscale eddies mediate productivity
and export in the Iceland Basin and on the Agulhas Bank. I also develop sensor integration and data processing pipelines that extend
the scientific capability of glider platforms for ecosystem monitoring.
I serve as Co-Chair of OceanGliders, the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) network coordinating the scientific use of autonomous underwater vehicles worldwide.
I am a Research Scientist at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, where I lead glider operations and contribute to programmes
investigating the biological carbon pump, including NERC's BIO-Carbon and large grants studying the Labrador Sea and polar ocean dynamics.
Education
| 2017 |
PhD in Oceanography, Rutgers University, United States
Thesis: "Coupled physical and phytoplankton dynamics in coastal Antarctica" |
| 2009 |
MS in Integrated Ocean Studies (Specialized Studies, no thesis), University of the Azores, Portugal |
| 2009 |
MS in Fisheries and Aquaculture, University of Lisbon, Portugal
Thesis: "Morphology of Fish Eggs: a comparative method for different salinities and preservatives" |
| 2007 |
LIC (Pre-Bologna) in Environmental Marine Biology, University of Lisbon, Portugal |
Employment
| 2022-present |
Senior Research Scientist, National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK |
| 2021-2022 |
Research Scientist, National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK |
| 2017-2020 |
Postdoctoral Researcher in Biogeochemistry and Autonomous Vehicles, National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK |
| 2017 |
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Rutgers University, USA |
| 2011-2017 |
Teaching/Research Assistant, Rutgers University, USA |
| 2009-2011 |
Research Assistant, University of Azores (Department of Oceanography and Fisheries), Portugal |
Professional activities and responsibilities
| 2023-present |
Co-Chair, OceanGliders (Global Ocean Observing System network) |
| 2023-present |
Member, SCOR Working Group 168: Constraining Uncertainties in the Biological Carbon Pump |
| 2022-present |
Associate Editor, Frontiers in Marine Science |
| 2021-2023 |
Vice-Chair, OceanGliders Biogeochemistry Task Team |
| 2020-present |
Member, UK Ocean Gliders Steering Group |
Awards and honors
| 2015-2017 |
Teledyne Webb Research Graduate Research Fellowship |
| 2015 |
Ocean Sciences Meeting Student Travel Grant |
| 2011-2015 |
Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) Doctoral Fellowship |
| 2009 |
Luso-American Foundation (FLAD) Saldanha/Tenore Fellowship |
Selected invited presentations and workshops
| 2024 |
Invited speaker, Ocean Sciences Meeting, New Orleans, USA |
| 2023 |
Invited speaker, BEPSII (Biogeochemical Exchange Processes at Sea-Ice Interfaces) Workshop, Cambridge, UK |
| 2022 |
Invited speaker, OceanGliders Best Practices Workshop, Monterey, USA |
| 2019 |
Invited seminar, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA |
Research funding summary
| 2026-2027 |
FMRI, GLIDERS II: GLider-type Infrastructure and Digital Environment for Research Science. £250k |
| 2025-2026 |
UKRI, APART: Autonomous Platforms as A Research Tool. £44k |
| 2025-2026 |
Internal funding (RISC), GLIDERS I: GLider-type Infrastructure and Digital Environment for Research Science. £167k |
| 2024-2029 |
NERC Large Grant, POLOMINTS: Polar Ocean Mixing by Internal Tsunamis (Co-PI, WP2 lead). £3.7M |
| 2023-2028 |
NERC Standard Grant, ReBELS: Resolving Biological carbon Export in the Labrador Sea (Co-PI, WP1-2 lead). £1.05M |
| 2023-2028 |
HORIZON-RIA, SEAO2-CDR, Strategies for the Evaluation and Assessment Of Ocean based Carbon Dioxide Removal (Co-I). €6.9M |
| 2023-2026 |
NERC BIO-Carbon Programme, PARTITRICS: PARTIcle Transformation and Respiration Influence on ocean Carbon Storage (Co-PI, WP1 lead). £2.3M |
| 2023-2026 |
NERC BIO-Carbon Programme, IDAPro: Integrating Drivers of Atlantic Productivity (Co-PI, NOC PI). £2.3M |
| 2021-2024 |
H2020, TechOceans: Technologies for Ocean Sensing (Co-I). €8.9M |
| 2018-2020 |
NERC GPSF, BIARRITZ: Bridging International Activity and Related Research Into the Twilight Zone (Res Co-I). £83.4k |
| 2015-2017 |
Teledyne Graduate Research Fellowship, 2 years |
| 2011-2015 |
Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, PT), Doctoral Fellowship, 4 years (~€100k) |
| 2009 |
Luso-American Foundation (FLAD) Saldanha/Tenore Fellowship, 3 months (~€3.5k) |