The Luso-American Development Foundation is pleased to announce that the winner of the 4th edition of the FLAD Science Award Atlantic is José Ricardo Paula, junior assistant researcher at MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon.

José Ricardo Paula will receive €300,000 in funding over three years to develop a project that aims to contribute to understanding the role of cleaning mutualisms in the conservation of Atlantic biodiversity, using emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.

The ATLANTICDIVERSA – Use emergent technologies to understand the role of cleaning mutualisms in Atlantic biodiversity conservation will be developed in partnership with Elizabeth Madin, researcher at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii, and aims to answer the question how do cleaning mutualisms influence resilience, biodiversity and ecosystem health in the Ocean?

This innovative project aims to unravel the ecological roles of clean-up mutualisms in Atlantic ecosystems, understand their resilience to climate change and use this knowledge in conservation strategies, while promoting public engagement and education through real-time technology.

At the base of this project is an innovative idea based on three main axes:

  • use global citizen science databases to address the global role of clean-up mutualisms in biodiversity;
  • the ecological manipulation of cleaner fish populations;
  • and the integration of artificial intelligence technology into marine research.

In addition, José Ricardo Paula’s project assumes a strong commitment to knowledge transfer and public involvement. Live underwater video transmissions from intelligence-operated cameras will not only serve research needs, but will also be presented in public exhibitions.

This focus aims to bring the reality of the ocean closer to the public by promoting education and awareness about the health of marine ecosystems and the challenges they face.

“The winner of the 4th edition of the FLAD Science Award Atlantic, José Ricardo Paula, is a young biologist whose traits of internationalization and cooperation are already revealing of a future scientific path of excellence in the study of environmental threats in the biodiversity of the oceans. In cooperation with the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, it is proposed to use digital technologies and artificial intelligence to, together with marine biology, understand how specific mutual cleaning interactions between fish influence the resilience, biodiversity and health of ecosystems in the Atlantic Ocean.” – Professor Elsa Henriques, member of FLAD’s Executive Board.

About the Award

The study of the Atlantic is fundamental to understand very diverse and multidisciplinary areas with an impact on the sustainability of the planet and on our quality of life, from the interaction between the oceans, the atmosphere and space, to climate change, natural phenomena and sustainability.

With the creation of this award, FLAD intends to promote the new generation of Portuguese scientists, and support projects with a strong focus on obtaining practical results, such as the creation of engineering and technologies, which facilitate our understanding and exploration of Atlantic ecosystems.

Jury

The evaluation of the applications was made by a jury of excellence composed of four elements. The scientific committee, which is part of that same jury, consists of:

  • Miguel Miranda, Full Professor at the Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon;
  • Pedro Camanho, Full Professor at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, and president of LAETA;
  • Rui Ferreira dos Santos, Professor at CENSE – Centre for Research in Environment and Sustainability, Faculty of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon;
  • Elsa Henriques, Associate Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, «’member of the Executive Board of FLAD.