Meet Our Team: Staff and Associate Researchers

Get to know the biologists, analysts, and veterinarians of the Anteaters & Highways Project.

STAFF

Arnaud Desbiez,
​PhD

Project Coordinator

​Arnaud Desbiez is a biologist and the project coordinator for the Anteaters and Highways Project. He has Ph.D in Biodiversity Management from the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), University of Kent, UK. He has been working and living in Mato Grosso do Sul since 2002. Since 2010, he has coordinated the Giant Armadillo Conservation Programs. His main interests are conservation biology, species ecological research, and sustainable use of resources. Arnaud works for the Conservation Department of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.

CV Available Here

Danilo Kluyber,
​MSc

Head Veterinarian

Work experience in Wildlife veterinary, Conservation Medicine, and epidemiology. Graduated in medical clinic and surgery of wild animals – Qualittas Institute, Brazil. Working as researcher for conservation projects since 2004 with a focus on Neotropical mammals. Through the Ecological Research Institute– IPÊ – Brazil worked with species such as woolly spider monkey, small mammals, black lion tamarins and tapirs. Participated in projects on Bush dogs and Maned Wolf at the Predators National Center CENAP – ICMBIO, Brazil. Since 2011 has been working full time on the Giant Armadillo Conservation Program, and is currently head veterinarian for these two projects and responsible for all project social media. Recently obtained his Masters of Science, at the Tropical Medicine Institute– São Paulo University and is an associate researcher at the Naples Zoo, Florida. Danilo's position is sponsored by Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens.

CV Available Here

M.V. Débora Regina Yogui

Veterinarian

Débora recently concluded her Veterinary Medicine Degree at University of São Paulo, for the past few years all her internships have been focused on wildlife studies. Her areas of interest include Conservation Biology and Conservation Medicine. Debora’s position is sponsored by the Nashville Zoo.
 
CV Available Here 

Gabriel Massocato

Biologist

Gabriel graduated from the Federal University da Grande Dourados (UFGD) in 2009. He is a biologist of the Giant Armadillo Project but he also helps the Anteater team conduct the field work. He is a great educator and helps with community outreach and environmental education programs.

CV Available Here

Bruna Oliveira

Biologist

Bruna Oliveira graduated from University of São Paulo in 2013. She is a biologist of the Giant Armadillo Project but she also helps the Anteater team to monitor the anteaters. Bruna helps with the administrative aspects of the project.

CV Available Here

M. V. Mario Alves

Veterinarian

Mario Alves concluded his Veterinary Medicine degree at State University of ‘Centro-Oeste’ – UNICENTRO, Guarapuava. He then concluded a two year  Zoological Medicine Residency at Federal University of Paraná – UFPR, Curitiba, in a partnership with Beto Carrero Zoo – BCW, Penha. Mario’s areas of interest includes, Conservation medicine, Conservation biology, mainly studies that can approach the ex-situ and in-situ worlds. Currently, he is working full time for the Anteater and Highways Project. Mario's position is sponsored by the Houston Zoo.

CV Available Here

ASSOCIATE RESEARCHERS

Fernando Ascensão
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Conservation Biologist

Fernando Ascensão is a Conservation Biologist, working on Road Ecology research since 2000. He has a PhD from Lisbon University and a Master from Évora University, both in Conservation Biology. His main interests are spatial statistics, animal movement and ecological modeling. He has been working with researchers around the world, including Tony Clevenger, Henrique Pereira, Rodney Van der Ree, and more recently with Alex Bager and Andreas Kindel from Brazil. He his currently a postdoc researcher from the "Infraestruturas de Portugal Biodiversity Chair" of the research center CIBIO - Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, Oporto University, studying the the role of transportation infrastructures in biological invasions' patterns. In this project, he will be responsible for analyzing the spatial and temporal patterns of animal movement and roadkill patterns, relating them with landscape and climate predictors. The main goal will be to detect key environmental features that best predict the likelihood of roadkills along the roads.
  

Carmen Barragán,
​Msc

Genetic Analyst

Carmen Elena Barragán graduated from “Universidad Surcolombiana” of Neiva/Huila-Colombia in Biology. She has a master’s degree in evolutionary genetics and molecular biology from the Universidade Federal de São Carlos SP-Brazil, in which she worked with mammal population and conservation genetics. Since 2016, she is now a Ph.D student at the same university (UFSCar) and will be analyzing the genetic samples of the Anteaers and Highways Project. Her main interesting includes, population genetics, conservations genetics and landscape genetics.
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CV Available Here 
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Mariana Catapani,
​MSc

Conservation Biologist

Mariana Catapani is a biologist and concluded her Master’s in Ecology at Federal University of Sao Carlos (2012). She is a PhD student in Environmental Science at University of Sao Paulo and her main interests are conservation biology and human dimensions of wildlife, with emphasis on human-wildlife conflicts motivated by sociocultural factors.
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CV Available Here

Lilja Fromme, 
​MSc

Veterinarian

Lilja From is a veterinary doctoral student from the University of Hannover (Tierärztliche Hochschule). Researching on the male reproductive tract in xenarthrans, she studies the morphological variation in testis, accessory glands and penis of anteaters, armadillos and sloths in order to better understand their species-specific characteristics of reproduction.
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CV Available Here 

M.V. Camila Luba
​

Veterinarian

Camila Luba is the veterinarian in charge of research in Reproduction of Xenarthras.
He graduated from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ). He has a specialization in Clinic and Surgery of Wild Animals by the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR). He has a Master in Animal Biotechnology at UNESP - Botucatu. Currently, he is a PhD student in the Clinical and Animal Reproduction program at the Fluminense Federal University (UFF).
  

Vinícius Alberici Robert, MSc

Biologist

Vinícius Alberici is a biologist and a Ph.D. candidate in Applied Ecology at the University of Sao Paulo (ESALQ/USP). His research aims to model the potential and current distribution of the giant anteater in the Brazilian biomes, to identify priority areas for its conservation. He is also interested on working with camera traps to evaluate the effects of roads on the population density and occupancy of the giant anteater. His main interests are conservation biology, road ecology, and ecological modeling.

Biólogo - FFCLRP/USP
Mestrando em Ecologia Aplicada - ESALQ/USP
LEMaC - Laboratório de Ecologia, Manejo e Conservação de Fauna Silvestre
LAEC - Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação