Nathali Machado de Lima is an accomplished investigator with over ten years of experience in environmental microbiology. She has worked in three different countries, including Brazil, the USA, and Australia, and her research focuses on identifying and selecting microbes, exploring their resilience to extreme conditions, and their applications as sustainable alternatives in environmental conservation and restoration initiatives, as well as in...view more
Nathali Machado de Lima is an accomplished investigator with over ten years of experience in environmental microbiology. She has worked in three different countries, including Brazil, the USA, and Australia, and her research focuses on identifying and selecting microbes, exploring their resilience to extreme conditions, and their applications as sustainable alternatives in environmental conservation and restoration initiatives, as well as in industry and agriculture sectors. In addition, Nathali explores the potential of microorganisms as plant bioinoculants to improve soil fertility and structure, boost plant germination and growth rates in dryland systems and degraded areas, and ultimately restore degraded environments. Her research findings have been published in several papers, some of which were the first available publications on the composition, abundance, and environmental variables driving cyanobacterial biocrust communities in Brazil's important biomes. Since completing her PhD in 2020, Nathali has been continuously employed at UNSW, working on several projects.
My Qualifications
Doctoral degree
2017-2020: Ph.D. in Microbiology. UNESP.
Research Project: Diversity and distribution of cyanobacteria in biological soil crusts from Caatinga biome based on polyphasic taxonomy and metagenomic analysis. Main Activities: Morphological analysis and molecular analysis through
Graduated degree
2014-2016: MSc in Microbiology. Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Sao
Paulo/Brazil
Research project: Diversity of cyanobacteria in biological crusts and evaluation of cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic profile.
Bachelor of Biological Sciences
2010-2013: Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Sao Paulo/Brazil
Research Assistant at School of Biological, Earth
Environmental Sciences – University of New South Wales
Set 2019 – July 2020:
Working on two different projects:
- Cyanobacterial bioencapsulation for restoring degraded drylands.
- Novel approaches for harnessing native soil microbial communities to restore biodiverse degraded ecosystems in drylands.
Practicum Student at School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences
Aug 2019 – July 2021:
Research project: Conservation of threatened native plants with cyanobacteria from biological soil crusts
Visitor Student at Ferran Garcia-Pichel’s Lab – Arizona State University
Jan 2016 - July 2016
Research project: Diversity and ecology of cyanobacteria of biological soil crusts in Brazilian savannah.
My Research Activities
1. Carbon Sequestration Inoculum Development for Agriculture using phototrophic microorganisms. Contract with Loam Bio. Type of participation: Primary project contributor.
2. Soil chemical and microbial analysis for Bonnie Doon Golf Club Environment Management Plan. Type of participation: Primary Investigator.
3. Seed microbial community characterisation and isolation from three species common to fire-prone Australia. Faculty of Research Grant UNSW. PI: Ryan Tangney. Type of participation: Primary project contributor.
4. Cyanobacteria and halophytic bacteria as biofertilizers under high salinity conditions in post-mine rehabilitation. Contract with Rio Tinto. Research Team: Dr. Miriam Munoz-Rojas, Dr. Nathali Machado de Lima, Ph.D. candidate Frederick Dadzie. PI: M Muñoz-Rojas. Type of participation: Research Associate.
5. Bioinoculants for conservation and restoration. Science ECAN Seeding Grant UNSW. PI: Nathali Maria Machado de Lima.
6.Ecosystem degradation and drought impacts on soil microbiomes across key Australian ecoregions. Faculty of Research Grant UNSW. PI: M Muñoz-Rojas. Type of participation: Research Associate.
7.Native microbes for promoting conservation and restoration of threatened ecological communities. Australia Flora Foundation. PI: M Muñoz-Rojas. Role: Research Associate.
8.DE180100570 Cyanobacterial bioencapsulation for restoring degraded drylands. Funding: Australian Research Council DECRA. Period: 05/11/2018 - 04/11/2021 PI: M Muñoz Rojas. Type of participation: Research Associate.
9. LP180100741 Beyond fire frequency: understanding fire season for ecosystem management. Funding: Australian Research Council, Linkage Program. Period: 01/07/2019-30/06/2023. PIs: Mark Ooi, D Keith, W Cornwell, M Lyons, M Muñoz-Rojas. Type of participation: Research Associate.
10. PDSE - Call No. 41/2018. Conservation of threatened native plants with cyanobacteria from biological soil crusts. Funding: Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel. Period: 07/2019-07/2020. PI: Nathali Maria Machado de Lima.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8007-5525