Rafael holds a Ph.D. in Ecology from the State University of Campinas (Unicamp). He is a professor in the Department of Ecology at the Federal University of Goiás, CNPq level 1A research productivity fellow, member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, and executive coordinator of the Brazilian Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Rafael has a solid background in ​​people and project management and extensive knowledge in fundraising and structuring research and development projects. He has more than ten years of international experience, having developed projects and published works with institutions in dozens of countries. Rafael was the science director at the Brazilian Foundation for Sustainable Development (FBDS), where he was co-responsible for strategic planning, institutional relations, fundraising, and team management. He has authored more than 200 scientific publications, including 12 books, and acts as an expert on business and biodiversity for the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). At CSRio, he is a Research Associate.

Biologist graduated from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC – 2006), Master in Botany (2009) and Ph.D. student in the Professional Postgraduate Program of Biodiversity in Conservation Units, at the National School of Tropical Botany of the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro. She is specialized in Project Management (Castelo Branco University – 2013) and in People Management (USP – 2021). She has been working for approximately 10 years in the coordination and management of socio-environmental projects financed by national and international funds, with a focus on conservation, restoration, and sustainable development. She has experience in managing teams, developing projects to attract funding, liaising with stakeholders and establishing strategic institutional partnerships, and implementing improvements in project management processes and organizational policies, among others. She is a professor of the Professional Master’s Degree in Sustainability Science at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), linked to the Center for Science in Conservation and Sustainability in Rio (CSRio), leading the discipline of Sustainable Projects Management.

Amanda Ronix has a degree in Chemistry with a Bachelor’s degree from the State University of Maringá, a Master’s in Chemistry and a Doctor of Science – Chemistry concentration area – from the Graduate Program in Chemistry at the same university. She has experience in the area of Environmental Analytical Chemistry, Materials Chemistry, working mainly in the preparation, characterization and sustainable applications of carbonaceous materials such as biochars, hydrochars and activated carbons from biomass residues. At IIS, works as an analyst of data related to soil carbon sequestration, soil recarbonization, biochar and carbon market.