Bruno Herlander Martins

Passionate about nature and wildlife from an early age, my strong interest in ecology, animal behaviour, and nature conservation has shaped my entire academic training and professional career in this field. My work focuses mostly on developing and applying practical tools for the management and conservation of species and habitats, combining research with environmental education. My fascination lies in the biology and ecology of birds, and I am currently working as a research technician in the BIODESERTS research group, focusing on investigating desert fauna, particularly birds. 

After completing a degree in Biology and a master's degree in Conservation Biology, both at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, I was responsible for developing several research projects at CIBIO over the years. My work was primarily with freshwater wildlife and wetland conservation, with special emphasis on the LIFE Trachemys and Charcos com Vida projects. Meanwhile, I was also part of the LPN team, where I worked as a biology technician on the LIFE Imperial project. Additionally, I gained valuable experience working for environmental consultancy companies, conducting bird surveys and monitoring on power lines and wind and solar farms, as well as contributing to biodiversity surveys on construction sites.

Recently, I completed my PhD in Biodiversity, Genetics and Evolution at the Faculty of Science at the University of Porto and the Faculty of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia. My research specialization delved into the ecological and evolutionary effects of changes in food availability on the movement patterns and population dynamics of birds. At the same time, I was part of the Birds on the Move project team at CIBIO.