Teixeira De Mello Ramirez, Franco Andrés

Research interests

I) Functioning and Ecology of Aquatic Systems: Focused on the study of the functioning of continental aquatic systems, with an emphasis on interactions with land use in watersheds, trophic interactions, species diversity, and functional diversity.

II) Biomonitoring: Applications and Tools: Focused on studying the effects of land use, with an emphasis on bioindicators, biomarkers, and contaminants (e.g., pesticides) in water, fish, and macroinvertebrates.

III) Microplastic Pollution: Research line focused on studying the issues related to plastic pollution in aquatic and terrestrial systems, its interaction with fauna, with an emphasis on Antarctica.

Working area

Franco Teixeira de Mello holds a Ph.D. in Biology (PEDECIBA), a Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences (Faculty of Sciences), and a Bachelor’s degree in Biology (Faculty of Sciences).

He is currently an Associate Professor (Grade 4) with Full Dedication at the Regional University Center of the East (CURE-UdelaR). He is a Level II member of the National Research System.

As a G3 Researcher in PEDECIBA-Geosciences, he has participated in the Graduate Commission and the CCA (as an alternate). As a Grade 4 Researcher in PEDECIBA-Biology, he has been a member of the CCA for two terms.

In Uruguay, he supervises graduate students in the Environmental Sciences program (Faculty of Sciences), the Graduate Program in Chemistry (Faculty of Chemistry), and the Graduate Program in Veterinary Sciences (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine). Internationally, he advises graduate students at the School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Mpumalanga, South Africa, and at several universities in Brazil, including Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Universidade de Santa Cecília, and Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná.
He is a member of the Board of the Department of Ecology and Environmental Management at CURE and leads the Aquatic Ecology and Biomonitoring Laboratory (ResearchGate link).
Additionally, he serves as the alternate President of the Limnology Association of Uruguay (LimnoUy) and is a board member of LACAN (Latin American and Caribbean Limnology Network).