Tomás Werner

I hold a Bachelor’s in Applied Biology and a Master’s in Molecular Genetics from Universidade do Minho, Portugal. For my MSc, I studied the ancestral function of a group of regulatory genes found across plants, using the cryptogamic liverwort species Marchantia polymorpha as a model to unveil the molecular and functional evolution of the proteins involved in this regulatory module. I gained experience in various techniques of classic plant biology, molecular genetics and bioinformatics and developed my skills in evolutionary biology and phylogenetics.

I am currently investigating the biodiversity of lichens in the culturally significant Côa Valley. I am helping to create a reference DNA barcode database for identification of the local species of lichens, supporting biodiversity assessments and monitoring in heritage contexts.

I hope to continually expand my knowledge, feeding my insatiable curiosity, and to make my contribution to general knowledge regarding life, biodiversity and evolution.