André earned his BSc in Biology from the Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, followed by an MSc in Evolutionary and Developmental Biology. For his MSc thesis, developed under the EUCLIPO project, he studied how a single small-scale farming landscape (West Region of Portugal) influences the genetic variability and adaptation of wild bees. Based on those results, his hypothesis posits that small-scale farming landscapes may enhance the genetic diversity of certain wild bee species, potentially facilitating their adaptation to these heterogeneous, mosaic-like landscapes.

Currently, his PhD is part of two international projects: the EUCLIPO project and the Biodiversity Genomics Europe (BGE) project, where his research serves as a case study. He focused on three common and widespread wild bee species – Andrena flavipes (Panzer, 1799), Bombus terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758), and Lasioglossum malachurum (Kirby, 1802) – across urban, small-scale farming, and low-agriculture (natural/semi-natural) landscapes in three regions of Portugal (Minho, Zona Oeste, and Algarve). His goal is to identify patterns of natural selection, track changes in allele frequencies, and understand the ecological and land-use factors driving adaptation. Additionally, he is investigating whether these species follow similar adaptive responses or respond differently to human-altered environments.

This research not only advances our scientific understanding of the genetic status of key wild bee species but also highlights the crucial role of genomics in biodiversity conservation. If his hypothesis proves correct, these findings could be instrumental in designing conservation strategies for wild bees, integrating genetic and genomic insights to support their adaptation in small-scale farming landscapes.