Ph.D. Student
joaogabriel.duarterosado @kaust.edu.sa
João hails from Brazil, specifically Rio de Janeiro - one of the most beautiful places in the world. João has long held a love. for dive and enjoying the marine world in myriad ways, including surfing and sailing. He also loves to connect with distinct cultures and travel the world doing the things he loves the most: restoring degraded marine environments and performing research aimed at preserving marine life, especially coral reefs. João graduated with a B.Sc. in Biological Sciences specializing in Genetics from the Institute of Biology at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His thesis was titled “Genome mapping of vB_VcoM-AquaRio giant bacteriophage isolated from Pocillopora damicornis that infects the coral pathogen Vibrio coralliilyticus”.
Analysis of coral reef ecosystem parameters in the Red Sea, such as diversity and abundance of reef species, and its correlation with the whole reef functioning, in order to contribute to the development of better management plans and conservation projects. Monitoring species richness on different marine habitats and their ecological function, in order to establish evidence of relationships between functional diversity, changes in environmental location, and changes in ocean patterns (such as climate change). Another goal is to restore degraded marine environments and preserve marine life, especially coral reef ecosystems threatened by climate change. I had a previous past work experience running several mesocosm experiments on a wide diversity of coral species and a set of skills obtained through extensive work on coral probiotics, the so-called Beneficial Microorganisms for Corals, that also made me focus on preventing coral bleaching around the globe. I also have interest broadly within a field of work centered on coral reef ecology and in the development of innovative solutions to enhance coral's health and resilience in a changing world.
Silva DP, Duarte G, Villela HDM, Santos HF, Rosado PM, Rosado JG, Rosado AS, Ferreira EM, Soriano AU, Peixoto RS (2018) Adaptable mesocosm facility to study oil spill impacts on corals. Ecology and Evolution
Sep/2018 – Dec/2020 (current)
Research intern at the Institute of Microbiology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Advisors: Prof. Raquel Peixoto and Dr. Helena Villela
Oct/2017 – Aug/2018
Visiting research intern at the Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis. Advisors: Prof. Patrick Brown and Dr Douglas Amaral
July/2016 – July/2017
Research intern at the Institute of Microbiology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Advisor: Prof. Raquel Peixoto
Field Experience:
2019: Marine Aquarium of Rio de Janeiro (AquaRio)
Running a mesocosm experiment on coral species Pocillopora damicornis at the Rio de Janeiro Marine Aquarium facilities (AquaRio), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
2018: Marine Aquarium of Rio de Janeiro (AquaRio)
Running and leading a mesocosm experiment on coral species Mussismilia hispida at the Rio de Janeiro Marine Aquarium facilities (AquaRio), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
2017-18: UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences
Running and monitoring a greenhouse experiment with Soybean and Wheat crops and the use of diverse foliar plant biostimulants at University of California, Davis, CA, United States.
2017-18: UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences
Monitoring whole nutrient uptake of several plantation fields in Fresno, CA, United States.
2015-16: Institute of Microbiology (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro)
Coral sampling and monitoring experiment, running a mesocosm system on oil bioremediation on coral species Millepora alcicornis in Búzios, RJ, Brazil