Also known as T Morato, Morato, Telmo, Morato, T. is a Principal Investigator in our team.
I am a Portuguese principal marine scientist at the Okeanos Research Unit of the University of the Azores. After completing a PhD degree in Resource Management and Environmental Studies at the University of British Columbia (Canada) and accepting a short-term position as Fisheries Scientist at the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (New Caledonia), I was awarded several research contracts with IMAR and the University of the Azores. Currently, I co-lead with Marina Carreiro-Silva the Azores Deep-sea Ecology research group aiming to advance the understanding of deep-sea ecosystems in a changing planet to inspire society and inform the sustainable management of the oceans.
Over the last years, I led several research projects and explorations that helped unveil new deep-sea species, communities, biotopes, and even new hydrothermal vents, but also unveiled the impacts of deep-sea fisheries on such ecosystems. I also co-lead the development of affordable camera systems to democratize deep-sea exploration and make it accessible to all. All the knowledge gained over the last decade has been transferred for improved ecosystem-based management and conservation of deep-sea ecosystems at regional, national, and international levels. I'm the sub-coordinator of the Okeanos research centre and has produced many scientific publications, participated as an international rapporteur for the UN World Ocean Assessment, the Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, and the FAO Deep-ocean climate change report. I'm a national delegate in the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic, among others.
Departamento de Oceanografia e Pescas
Rua Prof. Doutor Frederico Machado, 4
9901-862 Horta, Portugal