Academic Background
BSc in Environmental Biology, University of Lisbon
MSc in Conservation Science, Imperial College London
PhD in Conservation Science, University of Lisbon and University of Helsinki
Postdoc Research Fellow at the Conservation Science Group, University of Cambridge
Research Fellow at the Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto
I was honoured in 2020 with the European Early Career Conservation Award from the Europe Section of the Society of Conservation Biology and in 2017 award for best PhD in Ecology by the Portuguese Ecological Society
Research Interests
My research aims to provide evidence-based knowledge to support conservation decision making under contemporary global change, with a special focus on how to restore biodiversity in the aftermath of habitat loss and fragmentation and how to manage human-modified landscapes to retain biodiversity and maximise ecosystem-services. I do this by i) investigating taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic responses to habitat loss, fragmentation and secondary forest regeneration from both spatial and temporal perspectives, ii) identifying management options that can augment the permeability of agricultural land to disturbance-sensitive species and investigating agriculture-related ecosystem services and disservices, and iii) assessing the efficiency of conservation interventions and providing tools to facilitate and inform evidence-based decision-making. My work is grounded in ecological theory and involves biodiversity surveys across large-scale, manipulative experiments, “real-world” working landscapes and island ecosystems.
Links
See also Dr Rocha’s personal academic website.
Subject notes for courses taught at Jesus College: