Marlisa Martinho de Brito

Experiência

Marlisa Martinho de Brito is a geomicrobiologist interested in exploring the role of microorganisms in the evolution of natural systems, from the geological record to present-day biogeochemical cycles, as well as their applications in sustainable technologies.

She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Bioelectronics & Bioenergy Research Lab, Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE), at the University of Coimbra. Within the PROTEGE project, she investigates electrophysiological signaling and collective dynamics in microbial communities using biosensors for real-time environmental monitoring and water quality assessment.

Marlisa obtained her PhD in Geomicrobiology in 2023 from Université Bourgogne Europe (Dijon, France), where she studied the mechanisms of biomineralization (s.l.), through both laboratory and field-based approaches. In particular, her research focused on how cyanobacterial exopolymeric substances (EPS) mediate mineral precipitation, influence sedimentary system formation and preservation and support long-term carbon sequestration.

She then completed an 18-month postdoctoral fellowship at the Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna (Italy) within the Astrobiology and Geobiology Research Group, as part of the HELENA project funded by the Italian Space Agency. Her work examined the preservation of organic matter in Martian analog environments and contributed to the development of biosignature detection methodologies relevant to future planetary exploration missions, including the Mars Sample Return (MSR) program.