In a time of social distancing, the AIR Centre brought people back together by launching a series of online networking meetings that will take place every Friday, from 1pm to 2 pm UTC. During these relaxing Networking Fridays, researchers, technology innovators, representatives of multilateral organizations, government officials, and social entrepreneurs will present to and discuss with the audience their current work and, most importantly, explore ways of future collaboration. Our goal is to keep our network active, connected and informed of interesting activities going on around the Atlantic region. Let’s inspire each other and thrive through all this together.

In the last session of the month of May, on the 29th, always at 1-2 PM UTC, we went back to Brazil, this time to Salvador, Bahia, to listen to Olivia Oliveira, Director of IGEO – Geoscience Institute at UFBA – Federal University of Bahia. Olivia presented current research programmes and flagship projects developed at IGEO. Samuel Djavidnia, member of the Steering Committee of the GEO Blue Planet Initiative was the moderator of this session. This session was conducted in Portuguese Language with Remote Simultaneous Interpretation to English.

Olivia received her PhD in Environmental Geochemistry from the Fluminense Federal University (2000). Prior to the doctorate, she acquired the M.Sc. in Geology (1995) and the B.Sc. in Geology (1992) from Federal University of Bahia. Current,ly she is the Head and Director of the Geosciences Institute of the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA). Parallel to this position, occupies the chair of Associate Professor in the Geophysics department within the same institution and current member of the UFBA Graduate programs of: a) Geochemistry: Petroleum and Environment (POSPETRO) and b) Geology. Has experience in the field of Geosciences, with emphasis in Environmental Geochemistry, with activities in the following areas: Petroleum Geology, Petroleum Geochemistry, forensic geochemistry and Geochemical monitoring.

Olivia will share the floor with her colleagues from UFBA Antonio Fernando de Souza Queiroz and Icaro Thiago Andrade Moreira. Antonio has an undergraduate degree in Geology from UFBA (1984), a MSc in Geology from UFBA (1989) and a PhD in Geology and Geochemistry from the Université Louis Pasteur de Strasbourg (1992). He has experience in Geosciences, acting on the following subjects: mangrove, sediments, geochemistry, petroleum and All Saints Bay. He is currently Professor at UFBA and Director of Fapex. Ícaro has a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the Faculty of Science and Technology Salvador (2006) and a MSc in Geochemistry: Oil and Environment from UFBA (2010). He is currently full professor at UFBA. He has worked in Geosciences, focusing on Environmental Geology, acting on the following subjects: phytoremediation, heavy metals, circular economy, geosciences and environmental pollution.

We will continue with the Networking Fridays during the next months. More information about future sessions as well as presentations and videos from previous sessions can be found here. Twitter Hashtag: #netfridays. Expect some very exciting afternoons, or mornings or evenings, depending on where you are…

If you need any additional information please send an email to Jose Luiz Moutinho.