Coordinator

Maria A. Gasalla

Professor Gasalla holds a PhD in Oceanography, a MSc in Biological Oceanography and a BSc in Biology, and became a fisheries scientist after a 10-year position at a public research body in Brazil and scientific opportunities at international institutions (e.g. Canada, Spain, Denmark, Mexico and Argentina) where she studied ecosystem and stock assessment modelling but also social sciences and economics. She is a professor at the University of São Paulo’s Oceanographic Institute (IOUSP) and head of the Fisheries Ecosystems Laboratory where interdisciplinary research and capacity building in contemporary fisheries science have been a focus. She is currently a researcher of the Brazilian National Research Council (CNPq) developing and testing innovative approaches to integrate different fisheries issues in the context of complex marine social-ecological systems. She has also been serving as a member of scientific international committes related to the oceans, fisheries and global climate change (IMBER, FAO). She is currently associated to the Institute of Advanced Studies (IEA-USP), and to several task-forces representing Brazil.

Doctoral Students

Carolina Costa de Araújo

Her research focus is the drivers identification of cephalopods paralarval occurrence in the South Brazil Bight marine ecosystem. She has a BSc degree in Biological Sciences, and MSc in Biological Oceanography from the Oceanographic Institute (USP). She is a PhD candidate in Oceanography at USP, aiming a dual program with UMASS. She has experience in Biological Oceanography, with emphasis on early-life stages of squid.

Master's Students

Debora Cristina Ferrari Ramalho

She is currently a Master degree student investigating local agents in the interface Climate Change-Fishing communities. She has a B.Sc. in Biological Sciences (UNESP/Rio Claro, 2016). FAPESP scholarship.

Mariana Santos Lobato Martins

Her research aims to investigate the relationship between traditional fishing communities' knowledge and the management of a protected area from the Southern coast of São Paulo. Mariana is an Oceanographer from the Federal University of Rio Grande (FURG), and currently, a FAPESP-funded graduate student at USP.

Renato Brunner Pavone

Renato is a graduate student at IOUSP and his current research seeks to explore the environmental compensation mechanisms for small-scale fishers. His B.Sc. thesis was on the vulnerability of fishing towards potential enterprise-based infra-structure impacts in the coastal zone of Peruibe. He was also an international exchange student at Dalhousie University (Canada).

Post-Doctoral Researchers

Dra. Amanda Ricci Rodrigues

She is a postdoctoral technical fellow (CNPq) in the project “Strategic analysis to ecosystem-based fisheries management in the South Brazil shelf Large Marine Ecosystem”. She has a PhD in Oceanography (University of São Paulo), and her doctoral research aims to evaluate the economic performance of major fishing fleets operating in the South Brazil shelf. Amanda is originally a biologist (Mackenzie University) with a MSc degree in Fisheries and Aquaculture (Fisheries Institute, São Paulo). She has large experience in studies related to fisheries and marine resources.

Undergraduate Students

Amanda Figueredo Fonseca

Her research aims to study the Social dimension of fishing on the Brazilian Sotheast/South coast. Graduated in Oceanography from the Oceanographic Institute of USP. She is currently in charge of the "Mulheres da Pesca" project.

Julia Petroski Olher

Julia is an undergraduate student in Oceanography. In her internship, she is currently comparing the diet of pelagic fish from SE Brazil, as well as collaborating actively in the Women from Fisheries project.