Vasco Reis

Hello everyone!

I am a master’s student at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, and I will be carrying out my master’s thesis in marine ecology at the Beh. Complexity Lab. My research focuses on the invasive alga Rugulopteryx okamurae and its effects on fish community composition, total biomass, and the frequency of ecological interactions over time.

From a very young age, I have felt a strong connection to nature and realized how beneficial it is for me to stay connected to it. My grandparents are from a remote village in the Serra da Estrela, where I spent my entire summers as a child, dividing my time between rivers and the mountains. At the age of 10, I started competitive swimming until I was 16, which gave me both a passion for and confidence in the water. In 2019, I completed a six-month internship at the Best Spot Azores dive center in São Miguel, where I obtained my Divemaster certification, completed over 100 ocean dives, and discovered a true passion for diving! Experiencing the incredible biodiversity underwater in the Azores during that time inspired me to pursue a degree in biology. I am now about to begin the dissertation year of my master’s, aiming in the near future to work in this field by combining scientific research with scuba diving.

Aside from this, in my free time I enjoy making music, writing, traveling, training, spending time with friends and family, and making the most of the good things in life!