Renato Saragoça Bruno

I completed my B.S. in Biology at Mackenzie University in São Paulo, Brazil, in 2011. My thesis investigated the ecology of understory birds, and I collaborated on a publication (http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/11-0789.1) with researchers from the National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA). In 2011, I started working for the Brazilian Sea Turtle Conservation Program (TAMAR), in feeding and nesting areas for sea turtles. Since then, I have developed a passion for outreach and education, involving local communities in conservation efforts, and understanding factors influencing sea turtle reproductive success. In the following year, I completed the Research Assistantship of the Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) in Tortuguero National Park (TNP), Costa Rica, and started coordinating the sea turtle conservation program on the southern end of the park. Between 2015 and 2017, I worked as the Research Coordinator for the Turtle Foundation in Cape Verde and Pacuare Reserve in Costa Rica. My work in the field with sea turtle conservation refined my research interests and further prepared me to pursue my educational goals. To build the skills necessary to be a capable scientist and resourceful leader for marine conservation and community outreach organizations and to pursue research interests I had developed throughout my work experience, I enrolled in the M.S. program of the Biology Department at Southeastern Louisiana University (SELU) in 2017. My thesis work investigated the endocrine control of the reproductive cycle of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) nesting at TNP, and I am currently preparing two peer-reviewed publications that may shift the paradigm of timing of completion of vitellogenesis in sea turtles. In addition to preparing and carrying out data collection protocols, I obtained national and CITES permitting for my studies in Costa Rica and secured over $15,000 in funding for my project, including research grants from IDEA WILD, Sigma-Xi, the American Museum of Natural History, and the National Geographic Society. I completed the M.S. degree in 2019 and finished the required coursework with a 4.0 GPA.Concomitantly with my M.S. degree at SELU, I started an NGO for the conservation of sea turtles reproducing on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica through community involvement, applied research, and liaison with environmental agencies. In collaboration with my associates, I created an institutional website (turtleslove.org) and maintained social media presence (facebook.com/TurtleLoveProject), obtained research permits, and secured $10,000 in funding for initial research activities. I am driven to continue to study animal physiology and pursue a Ph.D. degree to increase my capacity to work effectively in the marine conservation field. My career goal is to start a non-profit organization dedicated to community outreach and research-based marine conservation in northeast Brazil. Enrolling in a Ph.D. program would provide me with an invaluable opportunity to learn from and network with the most prominent experts in marine biology and sea turtle research, generate knowledge to support conservation strategies, and apply this knowledge locally to yield practical results.