Faculty
Carlos Ernesto Gonçalves Reynaud Schaefer 
Full Professor – carlos.schaefer@ufv.br
Areas of Expertise: Pedology, Geomorphology, Soil & Environment.
Professor Carlos Schaefer’s research focuses on landscapes in extreme environments, such as the Amazon, Antarctica, and the southern Andes, where he investigates environmental dynamics, ecosystem evolution, and the impacts of climate change.
Edson Marcio Mattiello
Assistant Professor – mattiello@ufv.br
Areas of Expertise: Soil Fertility, Fertilizers
Professor Edson Mattiello’s research focuses primarily on the development, evaluation, and management of fertilizers, as well as the study of nutrient and micronutrient dynamics in the soil-plant system, aiming at nutritional efficiency and technological improvement of fertilization in agriculture.
Elpídio Inácio Fernandes Filho
Full Professor – elpidio@ufv.br
Areas of Expertise: GIS, Land-use Planning
Professor Elpídio Fernandes Filho’s research involves geoprocessing, spatial modeling, and machine learning algorithms applied to environmental fragility analysis and to the development of expert systems for sustainable agricultural planning.
Emanuelle Mercês Barros Soares 
Assistant Professor – emanuelle.soares@ufv.br
Areas of Expertise: Soil Organic Matter, Biogeochemistry of Soil Organic Matter
Professor Emanuelle Soares investigates the processes of formation, stabilization, and decomposition of organic matter, as well as the transfer and cycling of carbon and nutrients in agricultural and forestry systems. Her work promotes sustainability and understanding of soil’s role in the face of global climate change.
Igor Rodrigues de Assis
Assistant Professor – igor.assis@ufv.br
Areas of Expertise: Soil Physics, Land Reclamation
Professor Igor de Assis focuses on evaluating soil structural quality, the impact of agricultural management, and the use of biosolids, combining fieldwork with technologies such as drones and modeling. His work focuses on mitigating environmental impacts and developing more sustainable strategies for agriculture and ecosystem restoration.
Isabela Cristina Filardi Vasques
Assistant Professor – isabela.filardi@ufv.br
Area of expertise: Biogeochemistry
Professor Isabela Vasques investigates the removal of contaminants (such as arsenic) from the soil-water system and precision chemical analysis in soils, plants, and waste. Her work focuses primarily on developing strategies for environmental remediation, impact mitigation, and pollution control in ecosystems.
Assistant Professor – jjlelis@ufv.br
Area of expertise: Soil genesis and Classification
Professor J.J.’s research investigates paleoclimatic changes and socio-environmental dynamics, integrating pedological knowledge with a historical understanding of landscapes and biomes. His work provides valuable foundations for understanding the transformations of nature over time and the impact of human actions in the Brazilian drylands and Antarctica.
Hidelblandi Farias de Melo
Assistant Professor – hidelblandi@ufv.br
Area of expertise: Soil chemistry
Professor Hidelblandi de Melo works on nutrient dynamics, salinity, and the physicochemical relationships in the soil-water-plant system, evaluating the impact of water and osmotic stress on crops. In addition, he investigates fertilizer management and the use of organic conditioners for soil improvement and optimization of agricultural production.
Irene Maria Cardoso
Full Professor – irene@ufv.br
Areas of Expertise: Soil & Environment, Soil Quality, Ethnopedology, Agroecology
Professor Irene Cardoso develops work that integrates soil science knowledge with the development of sustainable agricultural systems, focusing on agroecological transition and conservationist land management. She also stands out for her commitment to family farming, valuing participatory processes and collective action to promote the resilience of agroecosystems.
João Carlos Ker 
Full Professor – jcker@ufv.br
Areas of Expertise: Soil Survey and Mapping, Soil Classification, Soil Genesis, Soil & Environment
Professor João Ker seeks to expand knowledge about soil formation and diversity in the various ecosystems and biomes of Brazilian territory. With extensive experience in field expeditions and academic literature in the field, his contributions provide essential foundations for soil surveys, environmental agricultural planning, and sustainable land use.
Júlio César Lima Neves
Full Professor – juliocnves@ufv.br
Areas of Expertise: Soil Fertility, Forest Soils
Professor Júlio César Neves investigates plant mineral nutrition and nutrient dynamics, with relevant applications in both agricultural systems and the study and management of forest soils. His work aims to optimize fertilizer use, promote the sustainable development of crops, and deepen practical knowledge about interactions in the soil-plant system.
Márcio Rocha Francelino
Full Professor – marcio.francelino@ufv.br
Areas of Expertise: GIS, Land-use Planning
Professor Márcio Francelino uses geotechnologies and spatial modeling to investigate landscape dynamics, soil mapping, pedoarchaeology, and carbon stocks in various biomes. Like other researchers in the group, he also has a prominent role in the Arctic, Antarctic, Andes, and Cerrado biomes.
Maurício Paulo Ferreira Fontes
Full Professor – mpfontes@ufv.br
Areas of Expertise: Soil Mineralogy, Soil Chemistry, Heavy Metals in Soil
Professor Maurício Fontes’ research focuses on the mineralogy of tropical soils, such as those in the Amazon, contributing significantly to the monitoring of heavy metals, the study of mining tailings, and the mitigation of environmental impacts.
Nairam Félix de Barros
Affiliated Professor – nfbarros@ufv.br
Areas of Expertise: Soil Fertility, Forest Soils
Professor Nairam de Barros works in the research of plant mineral nutrition, with an emphasis on sustainable management and productivity of commercial plantations, such as eucalyptus. His work seeks to optimize fertilization practices and understand the edaphic changes resulting from forest cultivation, ensuring environmental conservation and efficient land use.
Rafael da Silva Teixeira
Assistant Professor – rafael.s.teixeira@ufv.br
Areas of expertise: Soil fertility, Soil Organic Matter, Greenhouse gases
Professor Rafael Teixeira investigates the dynamics of organic matter, carbon sequestration, and nutrient cycling, with an emphasis on the Cerrado biome and forest systems such as eucalyptus plantations. His work seeks to optimize the nutritional management of crops and develop sustainable agricultural practices that help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
Raphael Bragança Alves Fernandes
Associate Professor – raphael@ufv.br
Areas of Expertise: Soil Physics, Soil Quality
Professor Raphael Fernandes’ research focuses on the physical processes and dynamics of natural resources in the sustainable management of tropical agroecosystems. His work investigates soil quality, ecophysiological modeling, and the impacts of land-use change on agricultural and agroforestry systems.
Reinaldo Bertola Cantarutti
Associate Professor – cantarutti@ufv.br
Areas of Expertise: Soil Fertility
Professor Reinaldo Cantarutti investigates nutrient dynamics — with emphasis on nitrogen and potassium — in the soil-plant system, the development and evaluation of new fertilizers (including alternative agrominerals and controlled-release technologies), as well as the management of fertilization of pastures and forage plants.
Renildes Lúcio Ferreira Fontes
Full Professor – renildes@ufv.br
Areas of Expertise: Soil Fertility, Toxic Elements in Water-Soil-Plant System, Use of Waste in Agriculture
Professor Renildes Fontes investigates the dynamics and management of micronutrients in the soil-plant system, also addressing advanced strategies such as the biofortification of agricultural crops. His work deepens the understanding of chemical interactions in the soil to optimize fertilization, ensuring more efficient, sustainable production with high nutritional quality.
Samuel Vasconcelos Valadares
Adjunct Professor – samuel.valadares@ufv.br
Areas of Expertise: Soil Fertility, Forest Soils
Professor Samuel Valadares is a specialist in sustainable management and optimization of fertilization in forest ecosystems (such as commercial eucalyptus plantations) and agricultural systems. His work aims to improve nutritional efficiency and mechanistic modeling, ensuring greater productivity and sustainability in silvicultural and agronomic practices.
Teogenes Senna de Oliveira
Full Professor – teo@ufv.br
Areas of Expertise: Soil Management, Soil Physics, Agroecology, Agroforestry Systems
Professor Teógenes de Oliveira investigates the dynamics of soil organic matter and strategies for recovering degraded areas. His work promotes the sustainability of agroecosystems, assesses the structural and biological quality of the soil, and develops management practices that help mitigate environmental impacts and climate change.