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Jesse Filho’s fascination with nature, life, and animals influenced him to pursue a Ph.D. in environmental and evolutionary biology at the University of Louisiana at ɫ��AV.

Born in João Pessoa, Brazil, Jesse always had a love for the outdoor world.

“I was always fascinated by the natural world, and I was specifically curious about understanding animals, plants, and other living organisms and how they function, coexist, and evolve through time. Honestly, I think curiosity about living organisms was always the reason for me to start studying biology,” Jesse said.

He obtained his previous degrees in biology and zoology at the Federal University of Paraíba, Brazil. His interest in applied learning ignited his research journey. 

“I started research very early in my career. In my second semester of undergrad, I had the opportunity to study the morphology and evolution of neotropical fishes." He explained, "There are about 34,000 described species of fish on this planet, and to study their different shapes and phenotypes as well as their diversity in ecology, behavior, and adaptations meant everything to me.”

After receiving his master's degree, Jesse took a break from his educational journey to pursue an international career to further himself as a scientist.

“In my scientific sabbatical time, I had the opportunity to teach biology for high school students, which changed my life as I became an educator of the subject I loved to study. During this time, I also focused on publishing scientific papers and started applying for my future doctoral program. My criteria were to choose a great research mentor that I could work well with and would further challenge my curiosity towards the study of fish," he said. 

Research work and lab impact 

Throughout the application process, Jesse received a response that would elevate his future. 

“I remember Dr. James Albert from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Louisiana at ɫ��AV, who replied very enthusiastically about my impressive CV and interview. Dr. Albert is an outstanding evolutionary ichthyologist in the field, so I knew this was the chance I had been waiting for to return to the academic environment to continue researching fish.” 

Jesse’s research focuses on Ichthyology, which is the study of fish.

“Since 2021, I’ve been working on my Ph.D. thesis focused on the systematic and evolutionary biology of a group of weakly electric fishes of the order Gymnotiformes. The so-called knife fishes occur in the deep waters of big rivers in South America, where most of the diversity of species is located in the Amazon basin," he shared. "My project involves understanding morphology, evolutionary relationships, and how these fish originated and evolved through time in such complex environments as rivers in South America.” 

He thanks Dr. Albert for increasing his knowledge of Neotropical freshwater fishes in the Amazon and adjacent basins in South America. In addition, Jesse gained access to weakly electric fish specimens at the University and was able to travel to different Natural Museums around the country. 

While in his doctoral program, Jesse’s lab team received some great news.

“Our lab also won a Grant Proposal from the Society of Ichthyology Herpetology, which allowed us to study and collect freshwater fishes traveling to tropical rivers of Colombia, associated with researchers from the Amazonian Institute, which was definitely a life-changing experience for me,” he said. 

Inspiring future scientists 

Jesse thoroughly enjoys spending time in the lab brainstorming and discussing scientific ideas. 

“The flow of scientific knowledge from discussions with my advisor and lab friends on a daily basis is definitely part of my favorite experiences at UL ɫ��AV. These experiences resulted in so many ideas, projects, and scientific papers published together by the lab as a cohesive unit.” 

One of his other passions includes teaching and inspiring upcoming scientists. He teaches undergraduate students as part of his Graduate Teaching Assistantship.

“Besides from teaching Advanced Human Anatomy (BIOL 318) every semester, I had the chance to TA an Ichthyology course BIOL 445 once. While Dr. Albert was responsible for theory lectures, I would be responsible for practical labs focusing on examining actual fish specimens,” he said.

He was able to introduce new fish species each lab, plan field trips to various rivers in the area, and teach students how to catch fish and preserve them in the lab.

When asked how the environmental and evolutionary biology program has shaped him, Jesse believes he is able to relay complex information in an accessible way for the public.

“The ability to synthesize information, think fast, and be able to explain nature from its complexity to simplicity is something that requires time and effort in graduate schools. In grad school, you learn how to operate under pressure, deadlines, how to communicate efficiently, and how to carefully transmit scientific information,” Jesse said.

He advises prospective graduates to research the research staff and faculty at UL ɫ��AV to understand their positive impact on students. 

“Research conducted at UL ɫ��AV is high quality level with advisors and peers publishing in many high impact factor scientific journals. This is already a great advantage being in the graduate program at UL ɫ��AV compared to elsewhere where it can hard to reach and access great minds.” 

After he receives his Ph.D. in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, Jesse plans to continue his career in researching and teaching upcoming scientists.

“I do have an open mind about the specific job position I want to reach out to, therefore I’m open to positions that broadly involve studying and working in biology," he said. "Teaching, research, and natural history museum jobs are among some of my options for the future, and I plan to apply soon for open positions that incorporate biology and ichthyology as the main center of study.”