Caroline C. Vasconcelos

Caroline C. Vasconcelos

Postdoctoral researcher

Ecology, Monitoring and Sustainable Use of Wetlands (MAUA) group, INPA, Brazil

Bio

I hold a B.Sc. in Forest Engineering from the Universidade do Estado do Amapá (UEAP) and an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Botany from the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA).

During my undergraduate studies, I spent four years involved in research projects coordinated by Embrapa Amapá, focusing on plant–pathogen interaction epidemiology, seed morphology and physiology, seedling growth of tree species, and forest ecology and management aimed at the multiple-use of Amazonian floodplain forests in the estuarine region. Since 2015, I have been a collaborating researcher at the Seed Laboratory (LabSem/INPA), where I conduct and co-supervise morphological and taxonomic studies on Sapotaceae, Lecythidaceae, and Copaifera (Fabaceae) in the Amazon.

In 2022, I joined the Ecology, Monitoring, and Sustainable Use of Wetlands research group (MAUA/INPA) as a research fellow (CNPq/DTI-A), where I gained experience in floristic inventories, botanical identification, and the collection of spectral and functional trait data for tree species across different Amazonian ecosystems (terra firme, igapó, and campinarana). Within MAUA, I am also involved in the SpectraPop and HerbSpectra-Amazônia projects, part of the INPA Herbarium Spectroscopy Hub, which aim to promote and advance the use of near-infrared spectroscopy for plant identification based on herbarium collections.

I collaborate with several national and international networks and initiatives, including the Amazon Tree Diversity Network (ATDN), Tropical Seed Trait Database (TSTD), International Herbarium Spectral Digitization Working Group (IHerbSpec), and World Flora Online (Sapotaceae WFO Taxonomic Expert Network). I also maintain collaborations with researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany), Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (Spain), the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project (PDBFF/INPA), Embrapa Amapá, and UEAP.

My main research interests include the taxonomy and systematics of Amazonian tree flora (particularly Sapotaceae), spectroscopy applied to species identification, species distribution modeling (SDM), floristic studies, and forest ecology. Pronouns: she/her/hers.

Download my CV (en) or CV (pt-br) for full details.

Interests
  • Sapotaceae
  • Taxonomy and systematics
  • Plant spectroscopy
  • Seedling morphology
  • Floristic studies
  • Amazonian flora
  • Herbarium
  • Tropical forest ecology
  • Species distribution modeling
  • Climate change
Education
  • Doctoral degree in Biological Sciences (emphasis in Botany), 2018 - 2024

    Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)

  • Master's degree in Biological Sciences (emphasis in Botany), 2015 - 2017

    Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)

  • Bachelor's degree in Forest Engineering, 2010 - 2014

    Universidade do Estado Amapá (UEAP)

Research History

See my CV for a full list

 
 
 
 
 
Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)
Ecology, Monitoring and Sustainable Use of Wetlands (MAUA group)
Feb 2026 – Present Manaus, Amazonas
Research Fellow
 
 
 
 
 
Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)
INPA Herbarium
Jan 2025 – Present Manaus, Amazonas
Research Fellow
 
 
 
 
 
Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)
Dr. Isolde Ferraz Lab (Seed Lab)
Oct 2024 – Present Manaus, Amazonas
Research Associate
 
 
 
 
 
Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Embrapa Amapá)
Drs. Marcelino Guedes & Ana Lira-Guedes Lab
Aug 2024 – Present Macapá, Amapá
Research Associate
 
 
 
 
 
Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)
Ecology, Monitoring and Sustainable Use of Wetlands (MAUA group)
Sep 2022 – Dec 2023 Manaus, Amazonas
Research Fellow
 
 
 
 
 
Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)
Dr. Isolde Ferraz Lab (Seed Lab)
Mar 2015 – Sep 2024 Manaus, Amazonas
Graduate Student
 
 
 
 
 
Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)
Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project (BDFFP)
Apr 2017 – Jun 2018 Manaus, Amazonas
Research Assistant
 
 
 
 
 
Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Embrapa Amapá)
Drs. Marcelino Guedes & Ana Lira-Guedes Lab
Aug 2012 – Feb 2015 Macapá, Amapá
Undergraduate Student
 
 
 
 
 
Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Embrapa Amapá)
Dr. Jurema Dias Lab (Phytopathology Lab)
Sep 2011 – Aug 2012 Macapá, Amapá
Undergraduate Student

Tools & Skills

R/RStudio

Software used daily

Map preparation

ArcGIS and QGIS

GeoCAT

Geospatial Conservation Assessment Tool

Microsoft suite

Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Graphic designer (enthusiast)

Photoshop and Illustrator

Scientific image analysis tools

ImageJ and ReColNat Annotate

Mendeley
Languages

Portuguese (mother tongue), English (intermediate), French (beginner), and Spanish (beginner)

Five Most Recent Publications

For a full list, including under review and in press publications, please see my CV

Honors, Awards & Grants

See my CV for a full list

IAPT
IAPT Research Grants | US$ 2000
International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT)
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PDBFF
Support for Conservation Students during the COVID crisis
An initiative of the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project (BDFFP) in partnership with the Paul & Maxine Frohring Foundation
JOBOECO
Honorable Mention for oral presentation of the work entitled Características invisíveis apoiam o descobrimento de espécies novas?
In “Curtas de Iniciação Científica” Awards Session | II Jornada de Botânica e Ecologia e II Jornada Amapaense de Botânica | Universidade do Estado do Amapá
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IAPT
IAPT Research Grants | US$ 1900
International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT)
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ASPT
ASPT Graduate Student Research Grants | US$ 1200
American Society of Plant Taxonomists (ASPT)
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PDBFF
Thomas Lovejoy Research Fellowship Program
Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project (BDFFP)
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4CAIC
2nd place for the best oral presentation
In Biological Sciences Session | 4º Congresso Amapaense de Iniciação Científica | Secretaria de Estado da Ciência e Tecnologia-AP
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Contact

Feel free to send an email to cc_vasconcelos@hotmail.com