Mariana is a PhD researcher at CML, focusing on building large-scale predictive models to assess the impact of current and future mining activities on freshwater ecosystems and developing biodiversity-inclusive strategies for the energy transition.

More information about Mariana Braz Pires

Professional experience

Mariana completed her BSc degree in Mathematics at University of Aveiro (Portugal) in 2020. Subsequently, she pivoted her academic trajectory towards Environmental Science, having obtained a MSc degree in this field at Utrecht University (The Netherlands), where she followed a track focused on Environmental Change and Ecosystems. During her Master’s degree, Mariana was able to apply her knowledge and skills in Theoretical Mathematics, Statistics and Programming to ecological and environmental research, by employing different mathematical modelling and analysis techniques. In her Master’s thesis, conducted in collaboration with the University of Patras (Greece), Mariana assessed the potential synergistic impact of climate and land-use change on the entire endemic flora of a regional endemism centre in Greece, and identified plant biodiversity conservation gaps and priorities.

Research topic

Mariana’s research focuses on developing biodiversity-inclusive strategies for the energy transition, specifically addressing the impact of mining activities on freshwater ecosystems. She will develop large-scale models (continental to global) to predict the effects of current and future mining activities on freshwater resources and biodiversity, which will involve interdisciplinary work at the intersection of ecology and hydrology. These models will not only be employed to carry out global impact assessments but also to enhance the characterization of mining impacts on biodiversity within sustainability assessment tools.