About me
I am a geologist working in different aspects of earth sciences. After a PhD in geology at the University of Lisbon, where I worked on the tectonics of the SW Iberian margin, I moved to the University of Monash, Australia, to work in the geodynamic modelling of subduction zones. Over the years, I carried out analogue models simulating different tectonic environments, including strike-slip faults, rifting structures, accretionary wedges, subduction zones and slab-plume interactions. More recently, I have also contributed to the development of numerical models of subduction zone initiation, investigating both generic models and different natural examples, including the Gibraltar Arc, SW Iberia, the Scotia Arc and the Caribbean. I have also an ongoing collaboration with colleagues to study the relation between tectonics, ocean tides and climate over the entire history of the Earth, with applications to planetary geology and the study of exoplanets. I love to work across disciplines (there is only one science!) and to collaborate with the media and popular science venues.
Current Position
- Assistant Professor, Geology Department, Faculty of Science of the University of Lisbon | Since 2019
- Coordinator of the Research Group on Continental Margins and Deep Ocean Frontier | Since 2015
- Vice-President of the Tectonics and Structural Division at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) | Since 2022
- Elected President of the Tectonics and Structural Division at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) | 2025-2027
- Corresponding Fellow of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences | Since 2022
- Editorial Board Member at Communications Earth & Environment - Nature Portfolio | Since 2020
Previous Positions
- FCT Research Fellow | Instituto Dom Luiz | 2017-2019
- Research Fellow | Instituto Dom Luiz | 2016
- DECRA Fellow | Monash University | 2015
- Research Fellow | Monash University | 2011-2014
Education
- PhD in Geology - Geodynamics | University of Lisbon | 2012
- Master in Geological Cartography | University of Évora | 2007
- Degree in Geology and Natural Resources | University of Lisbon | 2005
Awards
- Arne Richter Award 2017 for Outstanding Early Career Scientists of the European Geosciences Union (EGU)
- Discovery Early Career Researcher Award 2015 (DECRA) from the Australian Research Council
- IPGP Foreign Student Award 2011 for outstanding PhD research from the Institute de Physique du Globe de Paris
- Geomod2010 best poster award. International Meeting of the Geomod community in Lisbon in 2010