About
I’m Júlia Brandão Gontijo, an agronomical engineer and environmental microbiologist passionate about understanding the microorganisms living in soil and their crucial role in ecosystem health. My academic journey began at the Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil, where I gained hands-on experience bioprospecting plant growth-promoting bacteria, sparking my interest in soil microbiology.
I continued with a Master’s and Ph.D. at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, where my doctoral research focused on the methane cycle in tropical ecosystems. Using multi-omics approaches, I unraveled complex microbial networks and their responses to climate change. In other collaborative projects, I worked on soil health and sustainable agriculture.
As a guest researcher at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology, the Netherlands, and currently as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Davis, United States, I have worked across diverse ecosystems studying how land use, climate change, and management practices influence microbial communities and nutrient cycling.
My career goal is to advance scientific understanding of soil microbial processes and their interactions with plants and the environment, to support sustainable agriculture and climate change mitigation. I aim to bridge cutting-edge research with practical applications, collaborating internationally to develop innovative strategies that promote soil health, biodiversity, and resilient agroecosystems.
Education
2017-2023 | Ph.D. in Agricultural and Environmental Biology
Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture - University of São Paulo (Brazil)
Advisor: Prof. Dr. Siu M. Tsai
Sandwich Ph.D. at Netherlands Institute of Ecology (The Netherlands, 09/20-10/21)
Abroad supervisor: Dr. Paul Bodelier
Title: Microbial drivers of methane and sulfur cycles in Amazonian floodplain and upland soils: diversity, interactions, and climate change responses*
*Ph.D. thesis awarded with Honorable Mention in the USP Outstanding Thesis Award - Area of Agricultural Sciences (2024).
2015-2017 | M.Sc. in Agricultural and Environmental Biology
Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture - University of São Paulo (Brazil)
Advisor: Prof. Dr. Siu M. Tsai
Title: Methanogens and methanotrophs communities in sediments of Eastern Amazonian wetlands
2023-2025 | MBA in Data Science and Analytics
Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture - University of São Paulo (Brazil)
Supervisor: Dr. Gabrielle Maria Romeiro Lombardi
Title: Fungal communities’ seasonal dynamics and their functional potential in Amazon floodplain and upland forest soils
2010-2015 | B.Sc. in Agronomical Engineering
Federal University of Viçosa (Brazil)
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Lílian E. B. Baldotto
Title: Bioprospecting and selection of growth-promoting bacteria for Cymbidium sp. orchids
Professional Experience
2023-Current | Postdoctoral Researcher
Supervised by Dr. Jorge L. M. Rodrigues, University of California - Davis (USA)
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Leading integration of multi-omics datasets (metataxonomics, metagenomics, metabolomics) with environmental variables to unravel microbial community functions and their responses to seasonality and climate change
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Developing advanced bioinformatics pipelines and statistical models to interpret complex datasets and inform sustainable land-use practices
2020-2021 | Guest Researcher
Supervised by Dr. Paul L. E. Bodelier, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW, The Netherlands)
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Investigated the role of sulfur-containing volatile compounds in modulating methanotrophic bacterial activity using controlled laboratory experiments and multi-omics analyses
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Contributed to understanding microbial interactions impacting greenhouse gas fluxes, with implications for ecosystem methane cycling
2012-2014 | Junior Researcher (Scientific Initiation)
Supervised by Dr. Lílian E. B. Baldotto, Federal University of Viçosa (UFV-CAF, Brazil)
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Conducted bioprospecting of plant growth-promoting bacteria associated with orchids, including isolation, characterization, and functional screening
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Engaged in scientific outreach activities to disseminate research findings and promote microbial and orchids biodiversity awareness
Leadership & Service
Leadership: Student Representative of the Academic and Administrative Council at the Federal University of Viçosa (2011-2012)
Peer reviewer: FEMS Microbiology Ecology; PNAS, MSystems, Methane, Current Microbiology, Scientific Reports, Data in Brief, Science of the Total Environment, Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal, Molecular Ecology Resources
Membership: 2024-2026 - International Society for Microbial Ecology (ISME); 2025-2026 - Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)
Grants And Awards
2024 | Honorable Mention at the USP Outstanding Thesis Award - Area of Agricultural Sciences, University of São Paulo (Brazil)
2022 | ISME18 Travel Grant Award from the 18th International Symposium on Microbial Ecology (Switzerland)
2018 | FEMS Early Career Scientist Grant from the Ecology of Soil Microorganisms Conference (Finland)
2014 | Honorable Mention for Oral Presentation at the Academic Integration Symposium, Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil
2014 | Arthur Bernardes Outreach Merit Award at the Academic Integration Symposium, Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil
2007 | Honorable Mention at the Second Brazilian Public School Math Olympiad, Ministry of Science and Technology/Ministry of Education, Brazil