Antonio C. Marques got his B.Sc. in Biology (1990), M.Sc. in Zoology (1993), PhD in Sciences (1997) in the University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil. He had post-doctoral periods in the Naturalis Museum (1997-1998, Leiden, The Netherlands), and was visiting scholar in the Museum of Comparative Zoology at the Harvard University (1998), National Museum of Natural History – Smithsonian Institution (1998) and Universidad de València (2002), among others.

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He studies biodiversity and evolution (micro- and macroevolution) of marine invertebrates, mainly cnidarians, including several different aspects from paleontology to systematics, phylogeny, life cycles, biogeography and phylogeography, venomics, etc., of both planktonic and benthic stages. His research in Natural Sciences is based on Biodiversity, a key subject for society, integrating political, social, cultural, scientific, and developing aspects.

 

His biodiversity training was important to understand the potential multiple use of biological resources in complex scientific contexts, like those related to national sovereignty, scientific integration, traditional knowledge, capacity building, and sustainable use of biodiversity. His academic output includes 134 papers, 62 books and chapters, supervised/is supervising 13 M.Sc., 17 Ph.D., 10 postdocs and over 50 undergrads and interns.

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The development of his scientific projects promoted other academic qualifications and legacies as well, resulting in a network of collaborations in many national and international projects including developed and developing countries from Northern and Southern hemispheres, like USA, Japan, UK, Italy, Spain, Angola, and an extensive network in Latin America (researchers from Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, besides those from Brazil, evidently). His ongoing projects range from biodiversity assessments and its relation with local communities to evolutionary and proteomic analyses of new bioactive compounds. He is presently Research Associate of the Smithsonian Institution (USA).

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Scientific and academic progresses also influenced his outreach and administrative qualifications. The research output led him to coordinate several national and international scientific as well as outreach projects, like monitoring invasive species, and coordinating a national group to assess Brazilian marine biodiversity. This broad view and transit among different areas of biodiversity were also important to contribute at several different governmental and societal levels, such as in the establishment of scientific policies (e.g., assessing Brazilian scientific production in biodiversity, suggesting scientific programs to support biodiversity research), conservation acts (e.g., list of threatened and invasive species, both subjects of federal bills, and helping to establish marine protected areas), as well as other extramural activities (e.g., participating as expert in the Brazilian panel of IPBES, OBIS, and disseminating knowledge on biodiversity to the general public).

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Administrative responsibilities are highly linked to the academic level in Brazil. Since he became an Associate Professor (2004), he has served as Head of Graduate Program, Chair of the Brazilian Forum of Graduate Programs in Zoology, and Member of Research Council, among others. As a Full Professor, he is presently serving as Director of the Center for Marine Biology of the University of São Paulo (USP), as well as a member in the University Directive Council, USP’s Council for Outreach and Extramural Activities, and USP’s Faculty’s Evaluation Council (Biological Sciences Section). All these activities have been of paramount importance for his scientific and academic development, and to connect biodiversity and academic research in general with societal and university interests, demands and needs, as well as daily