DR. GISELE WINCK
GISELE WINCK
Understanding ecological systems
ABOUT ME
I am a biologist and ecologist, with several research interests, mainly in the areas of Ecology and Conservation, also linked to One Health approach. So, I have different research lines of research, which include: (1) the influence of the environment (natural or modified) on biodiversity (species, functions, phylogeny, physiology) and its relationships with human and socioecological aspects; and (2) how and why species occur (where they occur) and coexist.
Find out more about my work through my current projects and publications.
scientific research | project managing | data analyst
My Work
From theory to reality
One Health Workshop: Fiocruz and Robert Koch Institute
Sep 2024
Once again I was invited to join a small team of researchers to collaborate on an international effort to generate collaborative research with the Robert Koch Institute (RKI, Germany). I presented our lab, the Laboratory of Biology and Parasitology of Wild Mammalian Reservoirs (LABPMR), and especially our Ecological Modeling Team, led by Dr Cecilia Andreazzi. I showed how we produce information for nature-based solutions (NbS) for zoonotic disease control. We were pleased to know that the RKI Anthropology team has been developing similar studies in the African continent. So, we can expect new challenges for our team together with RKI!
International Course: Wildlife Disease Ecology and Modeling in R
Aug 2024
We had Oscar Rico-Chávez from UNAM (Mexico) in Fiocruz as the main professor of our course. It was a really nice experience! The course aimed to introduce essential concepts of wildlife disease ecology and empower students in ecological modeling using R language, while exploring the interaction between animal health, human health, and biodiversity conservation. We organized the classes as an integrated theoretical-practical approach to develop practical skills and relevant techniques, facilitating a deeper understanding of the content. Our Brazilian team was Marina Galvão Bueno, Cecilia Andreazzi, Ana Paula Lula Costa, Gabriella Tabet Cruz, Pedro Bolanho Mendes and myself. We shared a lot of ideas but also laughs with our students!
Felt like Home: Talk on Ecology in Health at UERJ
May 2024
I was really pleased to give a talk titled "Ecology in Health" for the Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolution at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ). First off, it was great to show the connections between Ecology and what we understand as health, which are often overlooked or even ignored during our training as ecologists. Plus, I demonstrated how methodologies widely used in Ecology are applied in Health, like using differential equation models in population dynamics, which are also used in epidemiology (like S-I-R models and their variations). Second, it was special because the Ecology Department is where I earned my doctorate degree and worked for 9 years. It was nostalgic and heartwarming to personally reconnect with people I shared so many ideas, projects, coffees, laughs, and stories (especially at fieldwork) with over those years. It was a truly gratifying experience!
School on on Modeling Infectious Disease Dynamics
May 2024
I had an amazing opportunity to attend the School on Modeling Infectious Disease Dynamics, offered by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics, South American Institute for Fundamental Research, at UNESP, in São Paulo (SP). It was 7 days of intense study and work, with rich discussions among colleagues and professors from diverse backgrounds. It was such a learning experience! In the photo, you can see my group at the School, along with professors Renato Coutinho, Marcelo Gomes, Roberto Kraenkel, and Guillaume Le Traut. Not all of us fit in this picture, but it's worth sharing.
Workshop Fiocruz + Université Sorbonne + Institute Pasteur
March 2024
Can you believe being invited to join a small team of researchers, including some of the brightest minds in Public Health from Fiocruz, Institute Pasteur (French Guiana), and Université of Sorbonne (Paris), to collaborate on an international proposal from scratch, all within just 3 days? Well, it wasn't just a dream – I was fortunate enough to be invited and contribute to this incredible endeavor! Now, our task is to further develop our ideas and flesh them out for the upcoming call for international projects. I experienced tremendous personal and professional growth during these intense 3 days. A heartfelt thanks to all involved, particularly Paulo D'Andrea and M. Lourdes Oliveira, for extending the invitation!
VISITING RESEARCHER AT UNIVERSIDAD COMPLUTENSE DE MADRID - SPAIN (PART II)
January and February 2024
Once again, I found myself immersed in the dynamic environment of the Evolution and Conservation Biology Research Group at 'Complu', under the leadership of Dr. Javier Pérez-Tris. Alongside Dr. Cecilia Siliansky Andreazzi, Ana Paula Lula Costa, and Gabriella Tabet Cruz (all pictured ->), we orchestrated the Symposium on Spillover Modeling and the Adaptive Networks for Parasite Spillover Workshop. The event was a hub of fresh insights and fostered exciting new collaborations! Keep an eye out for the remarkable outcomes ahead!
Round table: "Computational Modeling and AI in the Study of Trypanosomatids"
1th November 2023
After giving the talk Infectious Disease Ecology with Machine Learning: Trypanosomiasis in the Atlantic Rainforest, I participated in a fascinating discussion during the III Global Symposium of Trypanosomatids, alongside Drs. Claudia Torres Codeço (Fiocruz) and Rodrigo Gurgel Gonçalves (UnB). We discussed the use of AI in different types of research using Trypanosomatids as the focus.
You can see it here (in Brazilian Portuguese).
Giving classes in Portugal
13 October 2023
I was delighted to contribute to the II Curso Pós-Graduado One Health - Saúde humana, Saúde animal, Saúde ambiental (translation: II Postgraduate Course in One Health - Human Health, Animal Health, Environmental Health), offered by the Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon. I gave the online class Biodiversidade e ecologia das doenças infecciosas (Biodiversity and ecology of infectious diseases) to a great group of people from Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, and Brazil.
Thanks Dr. Ricardo Santos for the invitation.
WILDLIFE HEALTH: Our first Policy Brief released
15 June 2023
Our team Socioecological Networks and the Synthesis Center on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (SinBiose) of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), released the first official document that provides an overview of the reasoning behind selecting wildlife health as a theme that should be included in current public policies.
Find out more here
VISITING RESEARCHER AT UNIVERSIDAD COMPLUTENSE DE MADRID - SPAIN
September 2022
It was an exciting experience to work at the Evolution and Conservation Biology Research Group from 'Complu', led by Dr. Javier Pérez-Tris, from whom I've learned a lot. I worked closely with Dr Cecilia Siliansky Andreazzi, in the photo with me, and gave a lecture for the University sharing the results of my line of research in Disease Macroecology. All success!
RISK ASSESSMENT OF THE EMERGENCE OF ZOONOSES
29 June 2022
Together with the team from the Sinbiose - Socioecological Networks project, I developed a new method of risk assessment of the occurrence of zoonoses and applied it to Brazil. Further, we were able to identify the main factors responsible for the patterns of occurrence of zoonoses in our country, and which states are most likely to have outbreaks.
Find out more here
NEW CHALLENGES WITH DISEASE ECOLOGY
01 April 2020
After some time working at the Laboratoire D'Ecologie Alpine at the Université Grenoble Alpes (France) on a project with the seed dispersal networks of the Atlantic Forest, I started my work at the Laboratory of Biology and Parasitology of Wild Mammal Reservoirs of the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz). My new challenge is a knowledge synthesis project that aims to integrate different data (ecological, social, economic) and statistical models (spatial, interaction networks) to understand and predict new outbreaks of zoonoses.
CONTACT ME
Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz)
Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC)
Laboratory of Biology and Parasitology of Wild Mammalian Reservoirs (LABPMR)
Pavilhão Lauro Travassos, Avenida Brasil, 4365
CEP 21040-360
Rio de Janeiro - RJ
Brazil