About
I’m postdoctoral associate at the University of Florida, where I conduct research at the intersection of Plant Pathology, evolutionary biology and genomics. I hold both a Master’s and a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology and have developed my academic and research career across Brazil, Spain, and the United States.
My expertise lies in molecular biology and computation methods to study the evolution of fungal pathogens in agroecosystems through the lens of population genetics.
I have primarily worked on the Colletotrichum genus, focusing on species affecting major crops like soybean and maize.
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Education
Ph.D. in Plant Pathology, University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Brazil, 2019
M.Sc., in Plant Pathology, University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Brazil, 2015
B.Sc. in Agronomiy, State University of Maringá (UEM), Brazil, 2012 -
Research
I study the evolutionary genomics of fungal pathogens, with a focus on how pathogen populations evolve, adapts to their hosts, and potentially emerge as threats to agriculture.
My research combines fieldwork, molecular biology, and bioinformatics, using population genetics and comparative genomics to explore mechanisms that drive host-pathogen interactions and disease emergence.
Currently, I’m studying the population dynamics of the emerging fungal pathogen Bipolaris gigantea, focusing on its movement from native and invasive grasses to the cultivated host, hemp. By combining high-throughput sequencing technologies—including short-read and long-read platforms—with advanced bioinformatics, I investigate the genetic variation and evolutionary trajectories of these populations. This work enables us to detect signatures of selection, gene flow, and adaptation across ecological environments and host ranges. - Publications