My career has been mainly focused on the fate and biogeochemistry of trace metals in aquatic ecosystems and in the last 8 years I was mainly dedicated to mercury cycle in these type of environments. Although I have also developed a substantial research program in the related field of trace- and rare earth- elements biogeochemistry. Consequently, I have developed several productive collaborations with universities and research laboratories worldwide.

I have published 19 papers in international journals with referees, and collaborated in 2 book chapters. Among this 19 already published, 6 were published as first author (ca. 32%). Since my Ph.D., published papers have an accumulated impact factor of 78.697 (JCR 2019), which is considered excellent compared to the average impact factors for environmental or environmental chemistry journals. Also, ca. 70% of the publications belong to the first quartile (Scimago 2019). I have been cited more than 500 times (520-GScholar) with an h-index of 13 and 12 (Scopus and ISI Web of Knowledge).

I supervised/supervise 2 summer internships of environmental engineering students, 1 chemistry project from Erasmus student, 5 master and 1 PhD students. All were/are developing their thesis in Hg biogeochemistry in aquatic ecosystems. Their thesis were/are mainly focused in Hg stable isotope techniques to evaluate methylation and demethylation processes in saltmarsh sediments; in evaluating Hg toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic mechanisms in saltmarsh plants; in mercury fluxes in saltmarshes; in the influence of simultaneously extracted metals and volatile acid sulfides (AVS-SEM) on the distribution of methylmercury in saltmarsh sediments; and in the distribution of heavy metal contaminants in estuarine sediments.

Additionally, I collaborate in a project which intend to determining the most suitable spectroscopic analytical methods that can be used in the search for organic molecules that are representative of life forms (biomarkers) that may potentially exist in icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn (BIOMOON). Additionally, I am also a member of POLAR2E - College on Polar and Extreme Environments, from ULisboa, since its beginning in 2020.

More recently I have extended my research to Polar regions. In fact, my PhD student will study the impact of volcanic activity on local Hg cycle in Deception Island (Antarctic Peninsula).

I authored 38 communications in national and international conferences and received 2 international grants to participate in recognized scientific meetings. In addition, I actively partnered in several research projects, through which I developed scientific expertise in biogeochemical processes and contamination of the aquatic environment. 

In addition to working on multidisciplinary projects in Portugal (e.g. Planta II; REEUSE; PROFLUX and PLANTA), I have collaborated on several national projects (e.g. MARE, MACAC), through which I have developed an interest and research expertise in biogeochemical processes and contamination of the aquatic environments.

More recently I am also collaborating in multidisciplinary national projects, with international collaborations too, concerning extreme environments, as the case of Polar regions, such as the Canadian Arctic (PERMAMERC), in order to contribute to the much-needed information for understanding the Hg cycle in permafrost thaw systems: from Hg methylation processes to gas exchange in permafrost thaw surface waters, and the key photochemical and microbiological processes involved, and Antarctic Peninsula (PROPOLAR Project) to study Arsenic speciation and quantification in abiotic and biotic compartments of Deception Island: Impact of natural and anthropogenic sources.