Team

Principal Investigator | Ph.D.

Inês Pereira

Inês Pereira (Ph.D) is an Earth scientist with expertise in geochemistry, petrology and heavy mineral sedimentology, and a Research Fellow at the Geoscience Centre of the University of Coimbra. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Geology from the University of Lisbon (2010), a master’s degree in Geological Processes from the University of Évora (2014) and a doctoral degree in Geochemistry and Geochronology from the University of Portsmouth (2019).
She has a keen interest in understanding how we can use mineral proxies to infer about thermobarometric conditions, sedimentary provenance and geodynamic processes.
She has published over 20 articles in peer-reviewed journals, has dozens of participations in conferences and seminars, several as an invited speaker, and she has also done extensive outreach and association work (e.g., MSG, EGU, GGET). Her recent research dwells on developments in understanding the secular evolution of plate tectonics through the metamorphic record, by applying geochemical tools to heavy minerals, particularly rutile, but also to titanite.

She has now the opportunity of establishing two reference labs in this field and set up her team at Coimbra with the ERC FINGER-PT StG.

Project Manager

Patrícia João

Patrícia João has a PhD in Education from the University of Aveiro (2023). She has a master's degree in Earth Sciences from the University of Coimbra (2012) and a degree in Biology and Geology Teaching from the University of Aveiro (2007). She taught Natural Sciences and Biology/Geology for four years in primary and secondary schools. In 2011 she started as a research fellow, having collaborated on various projects, such as “Science Education for Citizenship through Problem-Based Learning”, funded by FCT at the University of Coimbra; “CIEC - Integrated Center for Science Education” at the University of Aveiro. She then received an FCT doctoral scholarship at the University of Aveiro and a post-doctoral scholarship at the University of Coimbra. She is a member of the Geosciences Center and has co-authored several published articles and book chapters.

She is currently a senior technician at the University of Coimbra, as science manager for the ERC Finger-PT project and the Geosciences Center. She is also responsible for promoting coordination between projects (ERC Finger PT and the Geosciences Center) and geosciences education.

PhD Student

Nuno Grácio

Nuno Grácio is a phD student at the Faculty of Science and Technology from the University of Coimbra and currently a research fellow in the Finger-PT project. He has a degree in Geology (2017) from the Faculty of Science (Universidade de Lisboa), where Nuno also concluded the master’s degree (2020), with a dissertation about the application of alluvial heavy mineral geochemistry in mineral exploration.

He has been engaged in research within the fields of geology and mineral exploration, particularly focusing on the identification and geochemistry of heavy minerals. Recently, he has collaborated on a scientific project (MOSTMEG FCT ERA-MIN/0005/2019) under the Laboratório Nacional de Energia e Geologia, where he has utilized skills across disciplines, including identification and geochemistry of heavy minerals, data analysis, and spatial mapping through GIS, to contribute insights into the geochemical exploration of strategic mineral resources. His work includes co-authorship on scientific articles and posters in national and international geological conferences.

MSc Student

Patrícia Amaro

Patrícia Amaro is a master’s student in Geology at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, specializing in Geodynamics and Geological Resources. She completed her bachelor's degree in Geology (2016) at the same institution, with a final group project focused on the petrography, mineralogy, and preliminary geothermobarometry of the Anatetic Complex of Serra da Estrela (CASE). Since 2021, she has been working as a senior technician at the Direção-Geral de Energia e Geologia, where she is involved in the licensing and regulatory oversight of quarry operations. Her professional role has provided her with experience in geological resource management and regulatory frameworks within the extractive industry.

Currently, her master's research focuses on the petrology and mineral chemistry of accessory phases in meta-carbonate rocks – marbles and calc-silicate rocks. This study aims to develop compositional discrimination diagrams and metamorphic facies applications for titanite. Her research involves detailed petrographic descriptions, mineral chemistry analyses using electron microprobe, and trace element determination via LA-ICP-MS, complemented by SEM textural studies.