Research Group
My research group investigates fundamental questions in physical oceanography and geophysical fluid dynamics through a combination of theory, observations, and a hierarchy of numerical models. Current research topics include submesoscale physics; internal waves; compact mesoscale eddies; volume, heat, and freshwater transports associated with the AMOC; and the intermediate circulation of the Southwestern Atlantic.
Present Members
Postdocs
Mauricio Rebouças Rocha
Postdoc at USP
2024–present
An oceanographer by training, Mauricio holds an M.Sc. in Meteorology from the Universidade do Estado da Paraíba and a Ph.D. in Physical Oceanography from USP. He joined our group as a postdoctoral researcher in 2024, supported by Instituto Serrapilheira, and is currently funded by a FAPESP postdoctoral fellowship. Using climate simulations spanning a range of spatial scales and climate states, Mauricio's project investigates the structure, variability, and long-term trends of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), with a particular focus on its abyssal cell. He is also interested in the impacts of AMOC variability on regional and global climate.
Graduate Students
Aghata Achilles de Oliveira
Master’s student at USP
2026–present
Aghata earned her teaching degree in Physics from USP in 2025 and joined our group as a Master’s student in Physical Oceanography. Supported by a CAPES scholarship, her Master’s research uses data from the Surface Water and Ocean Topography Mission to investigate the demography of compact mesoscale eddies along the Brazilian continental margin.
Antonio Favaloro
Visiting Master’s student at USP
2026–present
Manuel Gonzaga A. Zala
Master’s student at USP
2025–present
Emmanuel Magnangou
Master’s student at USP, co-advised with E. Campos
2025–present
Emmanuel is a Master’s student in Physical Oceanography at USP. Originally from Togo, he completed his Bachelor’s degree in Oceanography at the University of Kara. Supported by a FAPESP scholarship, his research focuses on quantifying meridional overturning transports of volume, heat, and freshwater in the South Atlantic. He is particularly interested in characterizing subannual to interannual variability and long-term changes in these transports, with emphasis on the role of freshwater transport divergence and surface freshwater fluxes in shaping the South Atlantic freshwater budget over recent decades, and their connection to AMOC variability and trends.
Rafael Couto Martins
Master’s student at USP
2024–present
Rafael is a Master’s student in Physical Oceanography at USP, where he also completed his undergraduate degree. Supported by a FAPESP scholarship, his research uses process-oriented simulations to investigate the role of horizontal shear and frontal curvature in the dynamics of submesoscale instabilities in the surface boundary layer. Also with support from FAPESP, he conducted part of his Master’s research at the Laboratoire d’Océanographie Physique et Spatiale (LOPS), where he completed a six-month internship with Profs. Jonathan Gula and Xavier Carton.
Marina Tambelli Romann
PhD student at USP
2026–present
Marina is a Ph.D. student in Physical Oceanography at USP. She joined the group as an undergraduate and, with support from FAPESP, developed her Bachelor’s thesis on abyssal transport in the South Atlantic using the Southern Ocean State Estimate (SOSE). Her doctoral research, also funded by FAPESP, focuses on submesoscale eddy-driven transport of tracers—such as heat and carbon—in the upper ocean, using realistic simulations of the South Atlantic.
A trained civil engineer, Paban joined our group in 2021 (then based at UConn) after completing a Master's in Climate Science at IIT Budhewassar and working as a Junior Research Fellow at IIT Dheli, both in India. His research investigates the relationship between submesoscale frontogenesis and cross-scale energy fluxes using observations collected during the Submesoscale Ocean Dynamics and Vertical Transport Experiment (S-MODE). Paban is supported by the US National Science Foundation (NSF).
Pedro Walfir Neto
PhD student at USP, co-advised with I. Silveira
2023–present
Pedro is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Physical Oceanography at USP, where he also completed his Bachelor’s degree in Oceanography and his Master’s in Physical Oceanography. Supported by CAPES, his research combines regional numerical simulations and process-oriented modeling to investigate flow–topography interactions, with a focus on submesoscale processes in the bottom boundary layer as well as internal tides. His primary region of interest is the Rio Grande Rise, where he examines the dynamical impacts of complex bathymetry on ocean circulation.
João Pedro Amorin
PhD student at USP, co-advised with I. Silveira
2023–present
João Pedro holds a B.Sc. in Oceanography from Federal University of Pará and an M.Sc. in Physical Oceanography from USP. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate at USP, where his research focuses on mesoscale and submesoscale dynamics, with particular emphasis on processes driving cross-shelf exchanges. Using high-resolution ocean models, JP is investigating the mechanisms responsible for the formation of low-salinity filaments offshore Cape Santa Marta, along the southern Brazilian coast. JP is funded by CAPES.
Undergraduate Students
Lara Medeiros Schlumbom
Undergraduate at USP
Lara is an undergraduate student in Oceanography at USP with interests in submesoscale dynamics and tracer stirring and mixing. Supported by a FAPESP scholarship, her research uses wavenumber spectra from saildrone observations, regional models, and satellite altimetry to investigate submesoscale processes in the California Current. Part of this work was carried out at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where—also with support from FAPESP—Lara recently completed a research internship with Prof. Sarah Gille.
Mariana de Souza Barros
Undergraduate at USP
Mariana is an undergraduate Oceanography student at USP with interests in internal wave dynamics and submesoscale processes. Supported by a FAPESP scholarship, she is characterizing the spatial and temporal variability of small-scale turbulent mixing in the Southwest Atlantic. She is currently conducting part of her project at the National Oceanography Centre in Liverpool, where she is undertaking a four-month research internship with Dr. André Palóczy, also with support from FAPESP.
Pedro Michelin Siqueira
Undergraduate researcher at USP
Pedro is an undergraduate student in Oceanography at USP. Supported by a FAPESP scholarship, his research uses saildrone observations collected during the Submesoscale Ocean Dynamics Experiment (S-MODE) to investigate the relationship between submesoscale thermohaline compensation and surface-wind variability.
Murilo Vaz Caetité
Undergraduate at USP
Ana Luiza Cavallari de Oliveira
Undergraduate at USP
Vitor Cortes Gracindo
Undergraduate at IFSP
Alumni
Graduate Students
-
Mackenzie Blanusa — MSc student at UConn (2021–2024)
Now: PhD student at Columbia University (LDEO) -
Thomas Bossy — Visiting Master's student at SIO (co-advised with Bill Young) (2018)
Now: Climate modeler at Université Paris-Saclay
Undergraduate Students
- Pâmela Batista dos Anjos — Undergraduate researcher at USP (2024-2025)
- Natália Rossi Jorge — Undergraduate researcher at USP (2023-2024)
- Camile Chiodini — Undergraduate researcher at USP (2023-2024)
- Beatriz de Castro Siqueira — Undergraduate researcher at USP (2023-2024)
-
Vicki You — Undergraduate researcher at UConn (2021-2022)
Now: Ph.D. student at UConn -
Weiguang (Roger) Wu — Summer undergraduate fellow at WHOI (co-advised with Tom Farrar) (2019)
Now: PhD candidate at MIT-WHOI Joint Program