We are particularly interested in investigating marine resource exploitation over time, with a focus on understanding how different human activities have shaped the population dynamics of exploited marine species. Our research seeks to integrate archaeological, genomic, and ecological data to provide a long-term perspective on the interaction between human societies and marine ecosystems. This work is critical for informing sustainable management and conservation strategies in the present day. In recent years, as principal investigator, I have led research projects examining the exploitation of marine mammals in Iberia, with particular attention to the historical use and decline of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) and Mediterranean monk seals (Monachus monachus). These studies have contributed to our understanding of the historical distribution, exploitation patterns, and human impacts on these species, which are now among the most endangered marine mammals. Additionally, we have conducted research on the population dynamics of commercially important pelagic fish, notably the European sardine (Sardina pilchardus). This work has combined genetic analyses with ecological and fisheries data to shed light on historical population fluctuations and the resilience of sardine stocks under varying levels of exploitation. A research line to be continued with SEACHANGE, a recently funded project that will look at the population dynamics of three economically relevant pelagic species (European sardine, Atlantic chub mackerel and Atlantic horse mackerel) over time, from pre-exploitation (Roman era) to the present and PALEOHAKE an exploratory project that will look at European hake (Merluccius merluccius) dynamics through time. Building on this experience, we aim to further explore the long-term interactions between humans and marine resources, using innovative genomic techniques, bioinformatics, and machine learning to reconstruct historical trade networks, exploitation intensity, and the resulting ecological impacts. The outcomes of this research will contribute valuable insights into the sustainability of past resource use and provide a historical framework for current conservation and management policies.
Paula Campos is a researcher specialized in ancient DNA applications to archaeological, paleontological and conservation biology questions. She received her degree in Biology in 2000, her MSc in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources in 2005 from the University of Porto and her PhD in Evolutionary Biology in 2009 from University of Copenhagen. As of January 2020, her publications include 2 theses, 4 book chapters, 1 technical report and 48 papers in international peer review journals. Of these, 15 were published in major multidisciplinary scientific journals including PNAS, Science and Nature, but also in specialized journals like Journal of Archaeological Science and Molecular Ecology. Paula is funded through FCT’s Individual Call to Scientific Employment Stimulus, CEEC2017.
Paula Campos is a researcher specialized in ancient DNA applications to archaeological, paleontological and conservation biology questions. She received her degree in Biology in 2000, her MSc in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources in 2005 from the University of Porto and her PhD in Evolutionary Biology in 2009 from University of Copenhagen. As of January 2020, her publications include 2 theses, 4 book chapters, 1 technical report and 48 papers in international peer review journals. Of these, 15 were published in major multidisciplinary scientific journals including PNAS, Science and Nature, but also in specialized journals like Journal of Archaeological Science and Molecular Ecology. Paula is funded through FCT’s Individual Call to Scientific Employment Stimulus, CEEC2017.
Rute Fonseca is an Assistant Professor at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. She received her degree in Biochemistry in 2000 and her PhD in Computational Chemistry in 20016 from University of Porto. Rute uses computational tools to study molecular evolution in a variety of organisms. My recent work involves exploring large-scale genomic information on both modern and ancient DNA data sets. I am particularly interested in protein function evolution and how this impacts phenotypes.
Subramaniam Vijayakumar is a master’s student specializing in marine biotechnology and bioinformatics, currently conducting his master thesis at the Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), University of Porto. His research focuses on uncovering the diet and gut microbiome of the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) from the Desertas (Madeira) population using metabarcoding and metagenomic analyses. He also investigates the relationship between the seals’ diet and gilt-head seabream aquaculture production in Ribeira Brava.
With a strong background in chemistry, having completed a Master’s in Chemistry, Subramaniam is currently studying in the Joint Master’s Programme in Marine Biotechnology under the prestigious Erasmus Mundus EU-CONEXUS program, gaining valuable international research experience. His expertise spans a broad range of areas, including organic, physical, and analytical chemistry, microbial cultures, genetic analysis, structural biology, and computational drug discovery, leveraging advanced computational tools for data analysis and modeling.”
As a voting member of the EU-CONEXUS JMPMB Student Board and patent holder for anti-cancer aminothiazole derivatives, Subramaniam is passionate about advancing research in marine bioactive compounds, with a focus on health, aquaculture, and sustainability
Espregueira Themudo, G., Fernández-Fernández, A., Abad, P.V., Nóvoa, A.A.R., Fernández-Rodriguez, C., de Agüero, E.G.-G., da Fonseca, R.R., Campos, P.F.
2025Espregueira Themudo, G., Rey-Iglesia, A., Campos, P.F.
2024Mar Biol 171, 195da Fonseca, R.R., Campos, P.F., Rey-Iglesia, A., Barroso, G. V., Bergeron, L.A., Nande, M., Tuya, F., Abidli, S., Pérez, M., Riveiro, I., Carrera, P., Jurado-Ruzafa, A., G. Santamaría, M.T., Faria, R., Machado, A.M., Fonseca, M.M., Froufe, E., C. Castro, L.F.
2024Genes (Basel) 15, 170.Marques, JP, Alves, PC, Amorim, IR, Lopes RJ, Moura, M, Meyers, G, Sim-sim, M, Sousa-Santos, C, Alves, MJ, Borges, PAV, Brown, T, Carneiro, C, Carrapato, C, Ceríaco, L, Ciofi, C, Silva, L. Diedericks, G, Diroma, MA, Farelo, L. Formenti, G, Gil, F, Grilo, M, Ianucci, A, Leitão, H, Máguas, C, McCartney, A, Mendes, S, Moreno, J, Morselli, M, MOuton, A, Natali, C, Pereira, F, Rego, R, Resendes, R, Roxo, G, Svardal, H, Trindade, H, Vicente, S, Winkler, S, Alvarenga, M, Amaral, A, Antunes, A, Campos, PF, Canário, A, Castilho, C, Castro, LF, Crottini, A, Cunha, M, Themudo, G, Esteves, P, Faria, R, Fernandes, C, Ledoux, JB, LOuto, B, Magalhães, S, Paulo, O, Pearson, G, Pimenta, J, Pina-Martins, F, Santos, T, Serrão, E, Melo-Ferreira J, Sousa, V
2024npj Biodiversity5. Theissinger, K., Fernandes, C., Formenti, G., Bista, I., Berg, P.R., Bleidorn, C., Bombarely, A., Crottini, A., Gallo, G.R., Godoy, J.A., Jentoft, S., Malukiewicz, J., Mouton, A., Oomen, R.A., Paez, S., Palsbøll, P.J., Pampoulie, C., Ruiz-López, M.J., Secomandi, S., Svardal, H., Theofanopoulou, C., de Vries, J., Waldvogel, A.-M., Zhang, G., Jarvis, E.D., Bálint, M., Ciofi, C., Waterhouse, R.M., Mazzoni, C.J., Höglund, J., Aghayan, S.A., Alioto, T.S., Almudi, I., Alvarez, N., Alves, P.C., Amorim do Rosario, I.R., Antunes, A., Arribas, P., Baldrian, P., Bertorelle, G., Böhne, A., Bonisoli-Alquati, A., Boštjančić, L.L., Boussau, B., Breton, C.M., Buzan, E., Campos, P.F., Carreras, C., Castro, L.Fi.C., Chueca, L.J., Čiampor, F., Conti, E., Cook-Deegan, R., Croll, D., Cunha, M. V., Delsuc, F., Dennis, A.B., Dimitrov, D., Faria, R., Favre, A., Fedrigo, O.D., Fernández, R., Ficetola, G.F., Flot, J.-F., Gabaldón, T., Agius, D.R., Giani, A.M., Gilbert, M.T.P., Grebenc, T., Guschanski, K., Guyot, R., Hausdorf, B., Hawlitschek, O., Heintzman, P.D., Heinze, B., Hiller, M., Husemann, M., Iannucci, A., Irisarri, I., Jakobsen, K.S., Klinga, P., Kloch, A., Kratochwil, C.F., Kusche, H., Layton, K.K.S., Leonard, J.A., Lerat, E., Liti, G., Manousaki, T., Marques-Bonet, T., Matos-Maraví, P., Matschiner, M., Maumus, F., Mc Cartney, A.M., Meiri, S., Melo-Ferreira, J., Mengual, X., Monaghan, M.T., Montagna, M., Mysłajek, R.W., Neiber, M.T., Nicolas, V., Novo, M., Ozretić, P., Palero, F., Pârvulescu, L., Pascual, M., Paulo, O.S., Pavlek, M., Pegueroles, C., Pellissier, L., Pesole, G., Primmer, C.R., Riesgo, A., Rüber, L., Rubolini, D., Salvi, D., Seehausen, O., Seidel, M., Studer, B., Theodoridis, S., Thines, M., Urban, L., Vasemägi, A., Vella, A., Vella, N., Vernes, S.C., Vernesi, C., Vieites, D.R., Wheat, C.W., Wörheide, G., Wurm, Y., Zammit, G.,
2023McIvor, A.J., Pires, R., Lopes, C., Raimundo, J., Campos, P.F., Pais, M.P., Canning-Clode, J., Dinis, A.,
2023Science of The Total Environment 856, 159077.Gopalakrishnan, S., Ebenesersdóttir, S.S., Lundstrøm, I.K.C., Turner-Walker, G., Moore, K.H.S., Luisi, P., Margaryan, A., Martin, M.D., Ellegaard, M.R., Magnússon, Ó.þ., Sigurðsson, Á., Snorradóttir, S., Magnúsdóttir, D.N., Laffoon, J.E., van Dorp, L., Liu, X., Moltke, I., Ávila-Arcos, M.C., Schraiber, J.G., Rasmussen, S., Juan, D., Gelabert, P., de-Dios, T., Fotakis, A.K., Iraeta-Orbegozo, M., Vågene, Å.J., Denham, S.D., Christophersen, A., Stenøien, H.K., Vieira, F.G., Liu, S., Günther, T., Kivisild, T., Moseng, O.G., Skar, B., Cheung, C., Sandoval-Velasco, M., Wales, N., Schroeder, H., Campos, P.F., Guðmundsdóttir, V.B., Sicheritz-Ponten, T., Petersen, B., Halgunset, J., Gilbert, E., Cavalleri, G.L., Hovig, E., Kockum, I., Olsson, T., Alfredsson, L., Hansen, T.F., Werge, T., Willerslev, E., Balloux, F., Marques-Bonet, T., Lalueza-Fox, C., Nielsen, R., Stefánsson, K., Helgason, A., Gilbert, M.T.P.
2022Current Biology.Rey-Iglesia, A., Gaubert, P., Espregueira Themudo, G., Pires, R., De la Fuente, C., Freitas, L., ...Campos, P. F.
2020Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.Rey-Iglesia, A., Martínez-Cedeira, J., López, A., Fernández, R., Campos, P.F. (2018).
2018JAS Reports, 18, (393-398).
