Journal of Oceanography and Marine Research
Open Access

Dr. Angela Cunha

Biography

Dr. Cunha holds a diploma in Biology from the University of Aveiro (1988), Diploma of Pedagogic Competence and Scientific Capacity (Equivalent to MSc. Diploma), University of Aveiro (1994) PhD in Biology, University of Aveiro (2001). She was a Undergraduate Teaching Assistant in the Department of Biology, University of Aveiro (1987-1988) Teaching Assistant (Junior) in the Department of Biology, University of Aveiro (1989-1994) Teaching Assistant (Senior) in the Department of Biology, University of Aveiro (1994-2001) and currently she is the Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology, University of Aveiro (2001-)

Research Interest

Environmental Oceanography, Environmental microbiology: Ecology of bacterial communities in aquatic environments with particular interest in estuarine bacterioplankton. Microbial processes of organic matter production (primary and secondary biomass production), transformation (extracellular enzymatic degradation) and mineralization (bacterial utilization of low molecular weight compounds). Trophic links between bacteria and other planktonic organisms. Microbial dynamics in the marine surface microlayer (SML): phylogenetic diversity and heterotrophic activity. Factors of regulation of the size and activity of estuarine bacterioplankton and bacteriobenthos. Effects of UV radiation on aquatic bacteria. Community-level physiological profiles of estuarine planktonic and benthic bacterial communities. Bacterial communities in deep oceanic sediments: sulphate reduction and methanogenesis. Inactivation of aquatic bacteria by porphyrin photosensitizers.