1982: BSc/Lic. Biological Sciences, Universidade Santa Úrsula, RJ, Brazil.

1989: MSc, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro - Museu Nacional, RJ, Brazil.

Thesis: [Revision of the genus Aspidodera Railliet & Henry, 1912 (Nematoda: Heterakoidea) with new synonyms and a key to the species.]

1997: PhD, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos C. Filho, RJ, Brazil

Thesis: [Studies on Atriaster heterodus Lebedev & Paruchin, 1969: redescription, ultrastructure, nutrition, spermatogenesis and vitellogenesis, including the redescription of Polylabris tubicirrus (Paperna & Kohn, 1964) (Monogenea: Polyopisthocotylea), both species parasites of Diplodus argenteus (Val., 1830) (Osteichthyes: Sparidae).]

Head of the Departamento de Biologia Animal, Universidade Santa Úrsula, May, 1991-July, 1993.

FELLOWSHIPS

• CNPq Fellowship 03/82-02/83

• CNPq Fellowship 03/83-02/84

• CNPq Fellowship 03/84-02/85

• CAPES Master Fellowship 03/86-02/87

• CAPES Master Fellowship 03/87-02/88

• CAPES Master Fellowship 03/88-02/89

• CNPq Grant to supervise undergraduate student 08/92-07/93

• CNPq Grant to supervise undergraduate student 08/98-07/99

• Consiglio Nazionale della Ricerche Fellowship as Visiting Researcher at the Istituto di Parassitologia, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Roma. Dec 1998.

• CNPq Grant to supervise undergraduate student 08/99-07/00

MAIN RESEARCH INTERESTS

As a young worker, I had the good fortune to study with Dr Herman Lent and other members of the Travassos school of parasitology, which is well known throughout the world. Dr Lent especially showed me how interesting taxonomic studies on nematodes can be. Later, at the Institute of Oswaldo Cruz, I was infected by the icthyoparasitology 'bug', and when I started studying marine monogeneans, I simply fell in love with them! However, in addition to fish parasites, I have also worked on a variety of parasites, ranging from minute, gut-less trematodes from bats to large ascaridoid nematodes from whales. Although, my investigations have mainly been taxonomic, I have also been involved with electron microscopy, cytochemistry and histochemistry. In recent years, I have become interested in the enormous biodiversity of the Neotropical region and especially marine parasitology along the coast of Brazil, where my main interests are focused on the parasites of wild fishes of economic importance and/or with a potential for mariculture.

Nowadays, at the Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, I am also working, together with the LAPSA team, on schistosomiasis, using my taxonomic experience to help identify the different larva digeneans found in the same molluscan intermediate host. Educational programmes with which I am involved also focus on human and environmental health.

SCIENTIFIC VISITS

• Internship, Departamento de Helmintologia, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, with Prof. Amilcar Arandas Rêgo, 1981-1983.

• Visiting Researcher, Laboratório de Helmintos Parasitos de Peixes, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, with Dr Anna Kohn, 1990-1995

• Visiting Researcher,Laboratory of Helminthology, Instituto de Biologia, Universidad Nacional Autônoma de México, with Drs Rafael Lamothe-Argumedo and Margarida Bravo-Hollis, June, 1990.

• Visiting Researcher, Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, with Dr Helmut Sattman, Head of the Department of Invertebrates, October, 1995.

• Visiting Researcher, The Natural History Museum, London, August, 1997 to work with Dr David Gibson, Head of the Parasitic Worms Division.

• Visiting Researcher, The Natural History Museum, London, August, 1998 to work with Dr David Gibson, Head of the Parasitic Worms Division.

• Visiting Researcher, Istituto di Parassitologia, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Rome, December, 1998 to work with Prof. Lia Paggi.

COOPERATIVE RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

• Joint Research Project in the Programme "Diversitas Neotropica" between the Universidade Santa Úrsula and the Muzel di Istoria Naturala "Grigore Antipa", Romania (1994)

• Joint Research Project with Prof. Klaus Rohde, University of New England, Armidale, Australia (1996)

• Joint Research Project with Dr Guillermo Salgado-Maldonado, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, México D.F. (1998-1999)

• Joint Research Projects with Dr David Gibson, The Natural History Museum, London, UK (1997-2002)

• Joint Research Projects with Dr Kurt Buchmann, the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Demark (1998-1999)

• Joint Research Project with Prof. Lia Paggi, the Instituto di Parassitologia,Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Roma (1998-1999)

• Joint Research Project with Dra. Thais Souto Padrón and Dra.Reinalda Marisa Lanfredi, Instituto de Biofísica da UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (1997-1999)

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS and CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS