Jacinto Adriano Mathe, PhD – Associate Director of E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Laboratory

Dr. Jacinto Mathe is a veterinarian, biological anthropologist and conservationist whose research focuses on veterinary medicine, osteology, taphonomy, and conservation palaeobiology. His work integrates ecological and taphonomic analyses to better understand mortality processes, pathogen and environmental stressors across the dynamic ecosystems of the African Rift System, with a particular focus on Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique.

His work contributes to faunal health management, conservation strategies, and the broader understanding of long-term ecological and palaeobiological systems. He holds a PhD in Biological Anthropology from the University of Oxford, an MSc in Forensic Anthropology from the University of Coimbra, and a BSc in Veterinary Medicine from Eduardo Mondlane University. His academic and professional path has been closely tied to Gorongosa since August of 2016, when he first joined the park as an intern working on wildlife conservation efforts, including supporting interventions to protect lions and elephants from gin traps and snares. He later became a participant in the Gorongosa Bioeducation Program, where he received extensive training in conservation biology.

Jacinto Mathe has demonstrated notable success in securing competitive funding to support his research and training initiatives. He has been awarded multiple fellowships and grants from internationally recognized institutions, including the Leakey Foundation, where he received the Baldwin Fellowship in both 2023 and 2025. He is also a recipient of support from the National Geographic Society, having been awarded the Early Career Grant in 2018 and leading projects within the National Geographic Explorer Community in 2021 and 2023 focused on scientific writing and quantitative skills development, such as Introduction to R. Additional prestigious awards include the Boise Trust Scholarship (2020), established by Charles Watson Boise, Ph.D., and the Gulbenkian Foundation Scholarship (2019). Collectively, these distinctions reflect his strong track record in attracting funding and his commitment to advancing research capacity, education, and scientific communication.

Dr. Mathe served as Research Manager in the Department of Science at Gorongosa National Park until March 2026, where he led the development and management of research databases, including systems for sample export tracking, data access and management, and park-wide research coordination. He also contributed to the design of automated workflows supporting scientific research and operational processes across institutions and different sectors in Gorongosa National Park. Since May 2026, he serves as Associate Director of the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Laboratory at Gorongosa National Park. In this role, he supports the advancement of one of Africa’s leading biodiversity research platforms, contributing to scientific leadership, research coordination, and capacity building initiatives. Gorongosa National Park represents a globally unique landscape within the southern African Rift System, encompassing an exceptional diversity of ecosystems—from flooding grasslands, savannas, Miombo to montane and tropical forests—and supporting remarkable biological richness. As both a living laboratory and a model for integrated conservation and human development, the park provides an unparalleled setting for interdisciplinary research, long-term ecological monitoring, and the training of future African scientists.

Dr. Mathe’s contributions include the establishment of the park’s first modern osteological reference collection, as well as teaching and mentoring students through field-based training programmes. He is also a co-founder of SEFOCA (Serviços de Formação e Consultoria Ambiental) and an active contributor to outreach initiatives such as Cartas com Ciência, which connects Portuguese-speaking scientists with students across the Global South.
For his new role, Dr. Mathe looks forward to contributing to the continued growth of the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Laboratory as a centre of excellence in biodiversity science, conservation, and education.