About the School
Biodiversity, creativity and originality
A unique experience
The São Paulo School of Advanced Science on Co-designing Biodiversity Assessments was conceived as an intensive, problem-oriented course.
Its key aim is to enable young scientists and technical professionals in the environmental sciences to become proficient in the production and analysis of biodiversity information that assists the development of sounder environmental policies and more effective action programs.
We propose to encompass biodiversity in all its taxonomic, evolutionary, functional and sociocultural dimensions. To foster comprehensive and adaptable assessment procedures that are attuned to real-world demands, lecturers and guest speakers will include field and theoretical ecologists as well as information users and analysts from government agencies, NGOs and the private sector.
Participants will also work on group projects, focusing on specific demands in biodiversity assessments.
The School will take place between October 27 and November 8, 2024 in the city of São Pedro (State of São Paulo, Brazil).
Speakers
Speaker
Alexander Turra
University of São Paulo, Brazil
Professor, Oceanographic Institute, USP. Biologist, PhD (UNICAMP, 2003). Leader of the UNESCO Chair on Ocean Sustainability; Member of the Climate Network – MCTI, Brazil; Coordinator of the Coastal Benthic Habitat Monitoring Network (ReBentos); Member of the National Steering Committee of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science; Member of the Scientific Council of the iAtlantic project - Integrated Assessment of Atlantic Marine Ecosystems in Space and Time; the Scientific Committee of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research; Steering Council, BIOTA-FAPESP program.
Speaker
Bráulio F.S. Dias
Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Brazil
Director of Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity at the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Brazil; Adjunct Professor in the Department of Ecology, University of Brasilia. Biologist, Ph.D. in Zoology (University of Edinburgh, 1981). Director of the Scientific Panel for the Amazon; former Executive Secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity; former President of the global board of Birdlife International; former Director-president of the Pro-Nature Foundation (Funatura).
Speaker
Camila Duarte Ritter
Instituto Juruá, Brazil
Researcher at Institute for Amazonian Research, holds a special interest in unravelling the formation patterns and diversity of Amazonian environments, such as open areas and seasonally flooded forests. Camila believes in scientific development as a powerful tool for conservation and enhancing the quality of life in local communities. With expertise in metabarcoding and environmental DNA analysis of Amazonian samples, her research contributes valuable insights into the intricate ecological tapestry of the region.
Speaker
Carlos Joly
University of Campinas, Brazil
Carlos Alfredo Joly has a degree in Biology from the University of São Paulo (USP), a master's degree in Plant Biology from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), and a PhD in Botany from the University of Saint Andrews/Scotland. Emeritus Professor at the University of Campinas, Brazil, member of the Brazilian Academy of Science and of the State of São Paulo Academy of Science, Chair of the Science-Policy Advisory Committee of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research/IAI, Chair of Brazilian Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services/BPBES, and Editor-in-Chief of the journal Biota Neotropica.
Speaker
Catarina Jakovac
Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil
Assistant Professor at the Federal University of Santa Catarina. Her research focuses on forest succession and ecological restoration, with special interest on how human impacts affect the regeneration process. She is part of the coordination team of the 2ndFOR network, Secretary of the Neotropical Chapter of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation-ATBC, member of the Alliance for the Restoration in the Amazon and of the Science Panel for the Amazon.
Speaker
Cristina Banks-Leite
Imperial College London, UK
Reader in the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College London. She investigates the causes and consequences of species turnover and extinction in fragmented landscapes of tropical regions, and the results from her research have influenced environmental policy in two different countries. Winner of multiple awards, she was featured as one of 15 influential female researchers in the UK. She has served as Board member of BES and INTECOL, editorial boards for Journal of Applied Ecology, Natural Sciences and PECON, and she is currently a panel member for two funding agencies.
Speaker
Diane Srivastava
University of British Columbia, Canada
Full Professor, University of British Columbia, Canada. Biologist, PhD (Imperial College, 1997). Director of the Canadian Institute of Ecology and Evolution; Leader of the Living Data Project; Distinguished University Professor, University of British Columbia (2021).
Speaker
Flavia Marquitti
University of Campinas, Brazil
Assistant Professor at the University of Campinas and Scientific Coordinator of the Training Program in Quantitative Ecology (Instituto Serrapilheira). Flávia is interested in how species form cooperative interactions, the intricacies of speciation, hybridization, and extinction processes, as well as the dynamics that lead to critical transitions within natural systems.
Speaker
George Brown
Embrapa, Brazil
Researcher at Embrapa Forestry and Professor of the Graduate school in Soil Science at the Federal University of Paraná, also CNPq Research Fellow. His work involves mainly the role of soil organisms, particularly invertebrates in the delivery of ecosystem services, and the impact of anthropic activities on soil animal populations and their diversity. He is presently chair of the International Network on Soil Biodiversity (FAO) and author of 200+ publications involving more than 600 collaborators worldwide.
Speaker
Joice Ferreira
Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, Brazil
Researcher, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa Amazônia Oriental). Biologist, PhD (University of Brasília, UnB, 2006). Ecological Engagement Award, British Ecological Society (2019).
Speaker
José Alexandre Diniz Filho
Federal University of Goiás, Brazil
Full Professor, Federal University of Goiás. Biologist. PhD (Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, UNESP, 1994). CNPq 1A Research Fellow. National Order of Scientific Merit 2018; Elected Member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences; Director of INCT Institute on Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity Conservation.
Speaker
Letícia Couto Garcia
Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
Adjunct Professor, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS). Biologist and Master in Ecology (UFMG), PhD in Plant Biology (Unicamp). Coordinator of the Intervention Ecology Laboratory. Winner of "For Women in Science" Award (Brazilian Academy of Sciences / UNESCO / L'Oreal, 2021). Member of the higher council of the Brazilian Society for Ecological Restoration (SOBRE). Her research focuses on ecological restoration, conservation biology, plant ecology, and environmental laws.
Speaker
Lucas W. Mendes
University of São Paulo, Brazil
Assistant Professor, Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, University of São Paulo (CENA, USP). Biologist, PhD (USP and Netherlands Institute of Ecology, 2014). Vale-CAPES Technology and Innovation Award 2017 in the Young Researcher category; Honorable Mention in the Capes Thesis Award 2015.
Speaker
Maria Carmen Lemos
University of Michigan, USA
Professor at the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) and Principal Investigator of the Great Lakes Sciences and Assessments Center (GLISA) at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She is also Senior Policy Scholar at the Udall Center for the Study of Public Policy at the University of Arizona. Her research focuses on the use of scientific knowledge in environmental public policymaking in Latin America and the U.S., especially related to climate change (adaptation and adaptive capacity building) and the co-production of science and policy (the different means to narrow the gap between useful and usable knowledge). She is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences and was a contributing and lead author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC-AR4 and AR5). She is currently a co-chair of the Climate and Biodiversity Assessment focusing on the US, Mexico and Canada. She has MSc. and PhD degrees in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT.
Speaker
Matías Enrique Mastrangelo
University of Mar del Plata, Argentina
Environmental Scientist from Argentina. He holds a PhD in Conservation Biology. He is a researcher at CONICET, Argentina, and a professor at the University of Mar del Plata. His research focuses on the human and social dimensions of environmental change, with emphasis on how stakeholders make decisions that impact the environment. His main study area is the South American Gran Chaco, where he has been practicing inter- and transdisciplinary research to reconcile agricultural production and biocultural conservation. He has been a lead author of the regional and global assessments on biodiversity and ecosystem services undertaken by IPBES.
Speaker
Mathias Pires
University of Campinas, Brazil
Assistant Professor at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and Research Fellow of CNPq. Combining ecological and paleontological data, network analysis and mathematical modelling, his research focuses on understanding how ecological interactions affect and are affected by extinctions, shaping diversity dynamics patterns at local and regional scales and in ecological and deep time.
Speaker
Rafael Loyola
International Institute for Sustainability, Brazil
Executive Director of the International Institute for Sustainability (IIS) and Professor, Federal University of Goiás - UFG. Biologist, PhD (UNICAMP, 2008). Research Fellow 1A, CNPq. Member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences; Executive Coordinator - Brazilian Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (BPBES), Member, Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
Speaker
Rafael Pinheiro
University of Campinas, Brazil
Postdoctoral researcher at the University of Campinas, funded by Fapesp. His main research interest is the ecology and evolution of species interactions, with a focus on the structure of interaction networks. He holds an MSc and a PhD in Ecology from the Federal University of Minas Gerais and has been a guest researcher in the University of Freiburg and in the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research.
Speaker
Raul Costa-Pereira
University of Campinas, Brazil
- Associate Professor of Ecology at the University of Campinas (Unicamp). His research combines empirical, experimental, and modeling approaches to understand how biological processes operating at the level of individuals scale up through levels of organization to shape diversity patterns in populations, communities, and socio-ecological systems. Raul studies diverse biological systems, from sea lions to microorganisms in tropical metropolises.
Speaker
Roberto Klabin
Refúgio Ecológico Caiman, Brazil
Business executive, former CEO and Board member (Klabin, Metal Leve and Lalekla). Bachelor of Laws, USP; Doctor Honoris Causa (UFMS, 2020). Founder and former president of the SOS Mata Atlântica Foundation and the SOS Pantanal Institute; Founder of the Caiman Ecological Refuge; President of the Board of Directors of the LIFE Institute, Curitiba; President, LIDE Sustainability.
Speaker
Robin Chazdon
University of Connecticut, USA
Professor Emerita in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at the University of Connecticut and part-time Research Professor with the Forest Research Institute at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. Her research focuses on natural regeneration of forests, and the multiple benefits of forest and landscape restoration. She served as Executive Director of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation from 2014-2019. She is a Senior Fellow with the World Resources Institute where she is global co-director of the Assisted Natural Regeneration Alliance. She also works with the FAO Task Force on Best Practices for the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, leading the Capacity, Knowledge and Learning Action Plan.
Speaker
Rodolfo Dirzo
Stanford University, USA
Professor, Stanford University, USA. Biologist, Ph.D., (University of Wales, 1980). Associate Dean - Doerr School of Sustainability; Bing Professor in Environmental Sciences; Professor of Earth System Sciences; Senior Fellow, Woods Institute for the Environment; Co-Director, INOGO Program, Woods Institute for the Environment; Foreign Associate, U.S. National Academy of Sciences; Medal of Merit in Research and Education, International Association of Tropical Biology (2017).
Speaker
Sergio Besserman Vianna
Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Professor, PUC-RJ. Former and present Director, Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden Research Institute. Board Member, WWF Brasil. Economist, Master's Degree (PUC-Rio, 1985). BNDES Economics Prize (1987). Former director, Brazilian Bank for Economic development (BNDES); Former President, Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE, 1999-2003).
Speaker (Co-PI)
Simone Vieira
State University of Campinas, Brazil
Researcher, Center for Environmental Studies and Research (NEPAM), UNICAMP, CNPq researcher. One of the main themes of her research has been the functioning of Brazilian ecosystems, especially the Amazon and Atlantic forests, in terms of biogeochemical cycles, including the structure and dynamics of the forest and its implications for the carbon cycle in the face of climate change. Member of the panel of experts of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and an associate researcher at the Center for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Change at the University of Lisbon. Coordinator of the Postgraduate Program in Ecology at UNICAMP and member of the coordination of the BIOTA-FAPESP Program.
Speaker
Thaise Emilio
São Paulo State University, Brazil
Associate Professor of Ecology at São Paulo State University "Júlio Mesquita Filho", Rio Claro Campus. Her research focuses on understanding and predicting patterns of biodiversity and vegetation in space and time, analyzing characteristics, abundance and distribution of organisms. Using an integrative approach, she combines observational studies, field and laboratory experiments, and historical and remote sensing data. Her primary focus is on tropical forest plants, particularly the palm family. Thaise contributes to studies that investigate how the distribution and dynamics of plants, vegetation, and their characteristics influence ecological processes at different scales.
Speaker (PI)
Thomas Lewinsohn
University of Campinas, Brazil
Associate Researcher and Professor of Ecology (ret.), University of Campinas, and Senior Research Fellow of CNPq. His research centers on the spatial and functional organization of biodiversity, especially insect-plant interactions. He has been a consultant on environmental science and policy for the Ministry of the Environment in Brazil, Global Environmental Facility, European Science Foundation, among others; a fellow of the Institute of Advanced Studies of Berlin and the Rockefeller Foundation, Italy, and former president of the Brazilian Association for Ecological Science and Conservation.
Speaker
Tiffany Marie Knight
Leipzig, Germany
Alexander von Humboldt Professor in Leipzig, Germany. She has appointments at the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ), the German Center for Integrate Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and Martin Luther University. Her research aims to understand how biodiversity, the structure of plant-pollinator interactions and the reproductive success of plants change across space and time. She increasingly uses new technologies (e.g., machine learning) for pollinator monitoring.
Advisory Committee
PI
Thomas Lewinsohn
University of Campinas, Brazil
Associate Researcher and Professor of Ecology (ret.), University of Campinas, and Senior Research Fellow of CNPq. His research centers on the spatial and functional organization of biodiversity, especially insect-plant interactions. He has been a consultant on environmental science and policy for the Ministry of the Environment in Brazil, Global Environmental Facility, European Science Foundation, among others; a fellow of the Institute of Advanced Studies of Berlin and the Rockefeller Foundation, Italy, and former president of the Brazilian Association for Ecological Science and Conservation.
CO-PI
Simone Vieira
University of Campinas, Brazil
Researcher, Center for Environmental Studies and Research (NEPAM), UNICAMP, CNPq researcher. One of the main themes of her research has been the functioning of Brazilian ecosystems, especially the Amazon and Atlantic forests, in terms of biogeochemical cycles, including the structure and dynamics of the forest and its implications for the carbon cycle in the face of climate change. Member of the panel of experts of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and an associate researcher at the Center for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Change at the University of Lisbon. Coordinator of the Postgraduate Program in Ecology at UNICAMP and member of the coordination of the BIOTA-FAPESP Program.
Advisory Committee
Marten Winter
sDIV - iDIV, Germany
Highly cited macro-and invasion ecologist. As head of sDiv, the Synthesis Centre of iDiv, the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research, he is also a science manager, with a focus on biodiversity research and strong networks across the broad global community of researchers working on biodiversity. sDiv hosts working groups and visiting researchers to address big questions in biodiversity by integrating diverse knowledge to increase the generality and applicability of results and yield novel insights and explanations. As long time experienced head of sDiv and as experiences senior researcher, Marten has been serving as advisor (or still is) for several synthesis or general research initiatives such as the Brazilian synthesis center SINBIOSE, Biota Synthesis, Aquasync, BiodivERsA or Finbio.
Advisory Committee
Bráulio F.S. Dias
Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Brazil
Director of Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity at the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Brazil; Adjunct Professor in the Department of Ecology, University of Brasilia. Biologist, Ph.D. in Zoology (University of Edinburgh, 1981). Director of the Scientific Panel for the Amazon; former Executive Secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity; former President of the global board of Birdlife International; former Director-president of the Pro-Nature Foundation (Funatura).
Advisory Committee
Diane Srivastava
University of British Columbia, Canada
Full Professor, University of British Columbia, Canada. Biologist, PhD (Imperial College, 1997). Director of the Canadian Institute of Ecology and Evolution; Leader of the Living Data Project; Distinguished University Professor, University of British Columbia (2021).
Advisory Committee
Geraldo Alves Damasceno Junior
Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
Professor at the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul. Has a degree in Biological Sciences from the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (1987), a Master's degree (1997) and a Ph.D. (2005) in Plant Biology from the University of Campinas, and a postdoctoral degree from the University of Hamburg (2014). He has experience in botany, with emphasis on phytogeography, floristics and phytosociology, ecology of plant communities, working mainly on the following topics: flooded areas, Pantanal, dispersal, seasonal forests, riparian forests, flooded fields and their relationship with floods, soils and fire.
Advisory Committee
José Alexandre Diniz Filho
Federal University of Goiás, Brazil
Full Professor, Federal University of Goiás. Biologist. PhD (Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, UNESP, 1994). CNPq 1A Research Fellow. National Order of Scientific Merit 2018; Elected Member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences; Director of INCT Institute on Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity Conservation.
Advisory Committee
Robin Chazdon
University of Connecticut, USA
Professor Emerita in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at the University of Connecticut and part-time Research Professor with the Forest Research Institute at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. Her research focuses on natural regeneration of forests, and the multiple benefits of forest and landscape restoration. She served as Executive Director of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation from 2014-2019. She is a Senior Fellow with the World Resources Institute where she is global co-director of the Assisted Natural Regeneration Alliance. She also works with the FAO Task Force on Best Practices for the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, leading the Capacity, Knowledge and Learning Action Plan.
Advisory Committee
Rodolfo Dirzo
Stanford University, USA
Professor, Stanford University, USA. Biologist, Ph.D., (University of Wales, 1980). Associate Dean - Doerr School of Sustainability; Bing Professor in Environmental Sciences; Professor of Earth System Sciences; Senior Fellow, Woods Institute for the Environment; Co-Director, INOGO Program, Woods Institute for the Environment; Foreign Associate, U.S. National Academy of Sciences; Medal of Merit in Research and Education, International Association of Tropical Biology (2017).
Organizing Committee
PI
Thomas Lewinsohn
University of Campinas, Brazil
Associate Researcher and Professor of Ecology (ret.), University of Campinas, and Senior Research Fellow of CNPq. His research centers on the spatial and functional organization of biodiversity, especially insect-plant interactions. He has been a consultant on environmental science and policy for the Ministry of the Environment in Brazil, Global Environmental Facility, European Science Foundation, among others; a fellow of the Institute of Advanced Studies of Berlin and the Rockefeller Foundation, Italy, and former president of the Brazilian Association for Ecological Science and Conservation.
Co-PI
Simone Vieira
University of Campinas, Brazil
Researcher, Center for Environmental Studies and Research (NEPAM), UNICAMP, CNPq researcher. One of the main themes of her research has been the functioning of Brazilian ecosystems, especially the Amazon and Atlantic forests, in terms of biogeochemical cycles, including the structure and dynamics of the forest and its implications for the carbon cycle in the face of climate change. Member of the panel of experts of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and an associate researcher at the Center for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Change at the University of Lisbon. Coordinator of the Postgraduate Program in Ecology at UNICAMP and member of the coordination of the BIOTA-FAPESP Program.
Organizing Committee
Catarina Jakovac
Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil
Assistant Professor at the Federal University of Santa Catarina. Her research focuses on forest succession and ecological restoration, with special interest on how human impacts affect the regeneration process. She is part of the coordination team of the 2ndFOR network, Secretary of the Neotropical Chapter of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation-ATBC, member of the Alliance for the Restoration in the Amazon and of the Science Panel for the Amazon.
Organizing Committee
Letícia Couto Garcia
Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
Adjunct Professor, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS). Biologist and Master in Ecology (UFMG), PhD in Plant Biology (Unicamp). Coordinator of the Intervention Ecology Laboratory. Winner of "For Women in Science" Award (Brazilian Academy of Sciences / UNESCO / L'Oreal, 2021). Member of the higher council of the Brazilian Society for Ecological Restoration (SOBRE). Her research focuses on ecological restoration, conservation biology, plant ecology, and environmental laws.
Organizing Committee
Mathias Pires
University of Campinas, Brazil
Assistant Professor at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and Research Fellow of CNPq. Combining ecological and paleontological data, network analysis and mathematical modelling, his research focuses on understanding how ecological interactions affect and are affected by extinctions, shaping diversity dynamics patterns at local and regional scales and in ecological and deep time.
Organizing Committee
Raul Costa-Pereira
University of Campinas, Brazil
- Associate Professor of Ecology at the University of Campinas (Unicamp). His research combines empirical, experimental, and modeling approaches to understand how biological processes operating at the level of individuals scale up through levels of organization to shape diversity patterns in populations, communities, and socio-ecological systems. Raul studies diverse biological systems, from sea lions to microorganisms in tropical metropolises.
Organizing Committee
Thaís B. Guedes
University od Campinas, Brazil
A herpetologist and biogeographer, FAPESP's Young Researcher at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP; Brazil). She is interested in understanding the distribution patterns of biodiversity and how these patterns change over time and space. She mainly uses amphibians and reptiles (herpetofauna) as models in her studies.
Organizing Committee
Thaise Emilio
São Paulo State University, Brazil
Associate Professor of Ecology at São Paulo State University "Júlio Mesquita Filho", Rio Claro Campus. Her research focuses on understanding and predicting patterns of biodiversity and vegetation in space and time, analyzing characteristics, abundance and distribution of organisms. Using an integrative approach, she combines observational studies, field and laboratory experiments, and historical and remote sensing data. Her primary focus is on tropical forest plants, particularly the palm family. Thaise contributes to studies that investigate how the distribution and dynamics of plants, vegetation, and their characteristics influence ecological processes at different scales.