Renan Lima

I was born and raised in southern Brazil, a region with unique marine biodiversity and a strong connection to the coastal environment. That’s where my curiosity about the ocean began very early on, and where I completed my undergraduate and postgraduate studies (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande – FURG).

My research explores how marine mammals use their surrounding environment, their roles in food webs, and how they respond to climate change and other anthropogenic pressures (e.g., fisheries, pollution), as well as the implications for ecosystem functioning. I address these questions using a range of complementary approaches, including stable isotopes, stomach and scat content analysis, and additional tools such as hormone measurements, age estimation, remote sensing, and statistical modeling. My work has placed particular emphasis on fur seals of the genus Arctocephalus, as well as other Antarctic seal species.

I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Ecology and Conservation (University of Exeter), where I investigate how physiological stress relates to reproduction and diet in different Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) populations across Antarctica.

In my free time, I enjoy drinking mate (a traditional South American herbal tea), reading thrillers, watching Brazilian soap operas, and listening to pop music.