Domingos holds a PhD in biological sciences from Universidade Estadual Paulista, UNESP. He is currently professor of the undergraduate course in Fisheries Engineering at UNESP - Campus Experimental de Registro. He is also professor at the graduate program in aquatic biodiversity of UNESP - Campus do Litoral Paulista, where he teaches natural history, diversity and conservation of fishes.

Gavin Naylor

Plenary Session: "The Chondrichthyan Tree of Life - Half a billion years of innovation"

Incoming Program Director and Curator of Sharks Florida Program for Shark Research, University of Florida. His research interests encompass exploration of the biodiversity chondrichthyan fishes, phylogenetic inference, protein folding, molecular evolution and the origin of architectural novelty.

Neil Hammerschlag

Plenary Session: "Ecosystem Impacts of Sharks: Disentangling Data from Dogma"

Neil is a marine ecologist and Research Assistant Professor at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science and Abess Center for Ecosystem Science & Policy. He also serves as Director of the Shark Research & Conservation Program at the University of Miami. His current research centers broadly on the behavioral ecology, conservation biology and movement ecology of marine predators, primarily focused on sharks.  

Rachel Graham

Plenary Session: "Are we turning the tide for sharks and rays? Science and conservation impact for elasmobranchs"

Rachel holds a PhD from the University of York, UK. For nearly two decades, she has worked with fishers and partners in several countries to identify threats, research needs and conservation opportunities for threatened marine wildlife and their critical habitats. In 2014, Dr Rachel founded the international NGO MarAlliance to promote impactful and inclusive grassroots science and conservation of marine wildlife. 

Rima Jabado

Plenary Session: "Shark fisheries and trade: research priorities in data poor areas"

Her PhD research has focused on shark populations along the UAE coast of the Arabian Gulf and led to the development of the Gulf Elasmo Project. She hopes to better understand the status of sharks and rays in the region and push for change in the management of them and the implementation of meaningful measures for their protection and conservation.