Prof. Carla Zilberberg

Associate Professor III at the Department of Zoology, at the Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability - Nupem at UFRJ, Associate Researcher at the Coral Vivo Institute and the Coral Vivo Research Network, Associate Researcher and member of the Coral Sol Research Network, Member of the SISBIOTA-Mar Research Network and the Deep-Sea Coral Network.
She holds a bachelor's degree in Marine Biology (1997) and a master's degree in Marine Biology from California State University Northridge (2001), both working on coral reef ecology. She holds a PhD in Biological Sciences (Genetics) from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (2006), studying the clonal contribution and molecular systematics of sponges. She has experience in the area of molecular systematics, ecology and marine genetics, working mainly on the following topics: molecular systematics of sponges, cnidarians and their dinoflagellate symbionts (zooxanthellae), ecology of modular invertebrates such as corals and sponges (competition, recruitment, phenotypic plasticity), contribution of clonal reproduction in marine invertebrates (through genotypic analyses). Her most recent projects have been to use molecular markers to evaluate the population connectivity of corals and the genetic diversity of zooxanthellae associated with corals and their relationship with environmental parameters.