Miguel Brilhante

I received a Ph.D. in Biology, with a focus on Sustainable Land Use and Agrobiodiversity, from the School of Agriculture (ISA) - University of Lisbon in 2026. I am currently collaborating with the TPS research group at CE3C - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes.
My research focuses on plant biodiversity, agrobiodiversity, and the sustainable use and conservation of plant genetic resources, with a particular emphasis on legume species (Fabaceae) and crop wild relatives. For several years, I have been involved in field-based ecological research in tropical and subtropical systems, using Mozambique as a model system to investigate patterns of plant diversity, functional traits, and species distributions under environmental and anthropogenic pressures.
I have also been actively involved in international research collaborations and projects addressing biodiversity conservation, food security, and climate change adaptation in sub-Saharan Africa.
My current research is driven by three main objectives: (i) to understand patterns of plant diversity and functional traits across environmental gradients; (ii) to assess the impacts of climate change and land-use change on plant species distributions and agrobiodiversity; and (iii) to support the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources, particularly crop wild relatives, for resilient agricultural systems.