Valéria Tavares holds a PhD in Biology (Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics) from the City University of New York / American Museum of Natural History (CUNY/AMNH), a master’s degree in Ecology, Conservation and Wildlife Management from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), and a bachelor’s degree in Zoology from the same university.
As a full researcher at ITV DS, she leads the Biodiversity and Environmental Solutions group. A lecturer and advisor in graduate programs at various institutions, she has experience in phylogenetic systematics, taxonomy, mastozoology, ecology, and conservation, with a focus on bats (Chiroptera), geographic diversity, faunal monitoring, and community ecology analyses.

Leonardo Trevelin holds a PhD in Zoology from the Federal University of Pará / Emílio Goeldi Museum of Pará (UFPA/MPEG), with a sandwich doctorate at the University of Kent. He also holds a master’s degree in Zoology and a bachelor’s degree in Ecology from São Paulo State University (UNESP). As an assistant researcher at ITV DS, he works with landscape ecology and genetics, mammal ecology, forest restoration, and subterranean ecology.
He is a collaborating professor in master’s and graduate programs, with a focus on Chiroptera.

Rafael de Fraga holds a PhD in Ecology from the National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), a master’s degree in Ecology, and a degree in Biological Sciences from the Positivo University Center. He completed a sandwich doctorate at Macquarie University, Australia, and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Federal University of Western Pará (UFOPA) and ITV DS. He is an assistant researcher at ITV DS, with experience in herpetology, ecological diversity metrics, niche theory, landscape genomics, and fauna monitoring. He works in the conservation of Amazonian biodiversity, applying statistical methods and habitat connectivity models, and integrating research groups in conservation and taxonomy.

Tereza Giannini holds a PhD in Ecology from the University of São Paulo (USP) and is a biologist at the same university’s Institute of Biosciences, having worked at the Naturalis Museum in Leiden, Holland, and at the Center for Ecology and Hydrology in Edinburgh, Scotland. As an associate researcher at ITV DS, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in biodiversity databases at USP’s Polytechnic School, including a research period at the University of Rio Negro in Bariloche, Argentina.

Rafael Assis holds a PhD in Ecology and Natural Resource Management from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, a master’s degree in Botany from the National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), and a degree in Biological Sciences from the State University of Londrina (UEL). He was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oslo, where he coordinated the Biodiversity Research Consortium Brazil-Norway. Currently, as an assistant researcher at ITV DS, he works on the ecology of Amazonian ecosystems, forest dynamics, ecological succession, and phytosociology, with an emphasis on soil-plant interactions and tree regeneration.

Carolina Carvalho holds a PhD in Ecology and Biodiversity from São Paulo State University (UNESP), a master’s degree in Ecology and Evolution from the Federal University of Goiás (UFG), and a degree in Biological Sciences from UNESP. As a researcher at ITV DS, she investigates how landscape structure, human activities, and intraspecific variation influence ecological processes such as pollination and seed dispersal. Carvalho uses barcoding, metabarcoding, geotechnologies, and statistical methods to monitor species and understand ecological interactions.
She was an intern at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and at the Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (CIBIO) in Portugal.

Juliana Galaschi holds a PhD in Entomology from the University of São Paulo (USP), a master’s degree in Biosciences (Zoology) from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), and a degree in Biological Sciences from PUCRS. As a researcher at ITV DS, she works in Zoology with an emphasis on Entomology, focusing on geometric morphometrics, chemical and molecular markers, and pollinators, particularly stingless bees.

Maurício Watanabe holds a PhD and a master’s degree in Science (Botany) from the University of São Paulo (USP), and a teaching degree (Licenciatura) in Biological Sciences from the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) (2005). He completed a sandwich doctorate at the Field Museum of Natural History. As a researcher at ITV DS, Watanabe focuses on taxonomy, systematics, molecular phylogeny, and morphometry, especially in the Eriocaulaceae family.