RAQUEL PEREIRA
Uppsala, raquel, pereira,Sweden
Summary
I have always been fascinated by the ocean. I've pursued a career as a marine biologist, specializing in sponge taxonomy and systematics since my master's in 2010. While deeply involved in the North East Atlantic fauna, my passion extends beyond sponges to various marine invertebrates, particularly benthic forms.
My expertise is grounded in researching the Azorean and Swedish demosponge fauna, utilizing an integrative approach that harmonizes taxonomy with phylogenies. Seeking a role as a Senior Benthic Ecologist, I offer strong skills in species identification, environmental data analysis, and ecological assessment. With a solid background in deep-sea mapping, I aim to contribute insights into the ecology of not just sponges but also other diverse marine groups.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
17
17
years of post-secondary education
Work history
Museum Assistant
Museum of Evolution
Uppsala, Sweden
2023.08 - 2023.12
- Digitalisation of the marine invertebrate wet collectionwith special focus on Cnidaria.
- Upkeep of historical specimens.
- Hosting visiting researchers.
- Register and preservation of newly acquired specimens.
Field technician
University of Bergen
2014.08 - 2014.09
- Participation in a scientific campaign in the Arctic sea (SI_Arcti survey 2014) organised by The Institute of Marine Research in Norway onboard the R / V Helmer Hanssen.
- Collecting sponges caught by bottom trawl, data collection and clerking.
- Assist on identification of other invertebrate taxa, namely molluscs and crustaceans.
- Data collection regarding size and weight of commercial important species of crustaceans, namely Pandalus borealis.
Marine biologist, tourist guide
Espaço Talassa
2014.06 - 2014.07
- Marine mammal observer.
- Second skipper.
- Entertained tour guests with fun props, stories and activities.
- Addressed enquiries, issues and concerns of tourists.
- Interpreted and translated languages for tourists to understand.
- Documented daily tour activities and prepared incident reports.
Marine biologist
Futurismo Azores adventures, Ponta
Delgada
2013.01 - 2013.11
- Marine mammal observer.
- individual photo- identification, tourist guide.
- Maintained database of information collected on cetaceans specimens in São Miguel Island.
- Entertained tour guests with fun props, stories and activities.
- Addressed enquiries, issues and concerns of tourists.
- Interpreted and translated languages for tourists to understand.
- Documented daily tour activities and prepared incident reports.
Research fellow
University of Minho
2008.12 - 2009.12
- In the project “LeVini - Exploitation of yeast genetic resources and development of diagnostic molecular tools - novel approaches for the wine industry“ (ref: POCTI/AGR/56102/2004 - FCT Portugal) at the Centre of Molecular, Portugal).
- DNA extraction and PCR of commercial yeast strains (Saccharomyces cerevisiae).
- Microsatellite sequencing and population analysis.
- RFLP.
- and monitoring of fermentations through molecular and biophysical methods (UV-spectroscopy-SWNIR).
Education
PhD - Systematic Biology
Uppsala University, Dep. Organismal Biology
Uppsala, Uppsala County 2015.06 - 2022.10
GISlands 2012 - 2nd Advanced International Summer - GIS
University of the Azores
Ponta Delgada, São Miguel 2012.08 - 2012.08
Master of Science - Integrated Studies of the Oceans
University of the Azores
Horta, Faial 2010.10 - 2017.07
Statistical methods in natural sciences - Biostatistics
Uppsala University, Evolutionary Biology Centre
Uppsala, Uppsala County 2023.01 - 2023.03
Bachelor of Science - Applied Biology
University of Minho
2007.09 - 2010.10
Skills
IT
- Geographical Information Systems: ArcGIS (Desktop III); QGIS (medium)
- DNA sequence analysis: web databases (NCBI, EMBL, GBIF)
- Phylogenetics (PAUP, MrBayes, RevBayes, IQTREE)
- Statistical data analysis and data visualisations: R-cran
- Video annotation: COVER@ IFREMER
- Local skipper license
Soft-skills
- Organization and team planning through years of experience tutoring thesis work of master and bachelor students
- Event organisation, demonstrable by my experience on the organisation of local seminars with international speakers
Interests
I have always been fascinated by the Ocean. Naturally, this led me to study Biology. My B.Sc. I acquired basic tools as a biologist while providing an opportunity for real life research, namely sampling and keeping collection of wild yeast. Nonetheless, my heart was at the sea, so I have taken an M.Sc. in Azores (Portugal) where I further deepen my knowledge in Biology namely, benthic ecology and fauna with my M.Sc. thesis on sponge taxonomy and biotope mapping. During my Ph.D. I deepen my knowledge in taxonomy and marine invertebrate identification, especially regarding a sponges (Demospongiae: Suberitida).
Languages
English
Fluent
Timeline
Museum Assistant
Museum of Evolution
2023.08 - 2023.12
Statistical methods in natural sciences - Biostatistics
Uppsala University, Evolutionary Biology Centre
2023.01 - 2023.03
PhD - Systematic Biology
Uppsala University, Dep. Organismal Biology
2015.06 - 2022.10
Field technician
University of Bergen
2014.08 - 2014.09
Marine biologist, tourist guide
Espaço Talassa
2014.06 - 2014.07
Marine biologist
Futurismo Azores adventures, Ponta
2013.01 - 2013.11
GISlands 2012 - 2nd Advanced International Summer - GIS
University of the Azores
2012.08 - 2012.08
Master of Science - Integrated Studies of the Oceans
University of the Azores
2010.10 - 2017.07
Research fellow
University of Minho
2008.12 - 2009.12
Bachelor of Science - Applied Biology
University of Minho
2007.09 - 2010.10