Luís Carlos Rodrigues Machado is a researcher currently integrated at Centro de Biologia Molecular e Ambiental (CBMA-UMinho) with a focus on the thematics of systematics, biogeography and DNA-based biodiversity monitorization. He started his academic studies with a degree in Applied Biology (University of Minho, 2009) and followed up with a master degree in Biodiversity, Genetics and Evolution (Faculty of Sciences of University of Porto, 2012). From 2012 to 2017, he was integrated in the InBio-UP Associated Laboratory(Applied Phylogenetics Group), first with a laboratory technician grant (2012, 6 months), then he secured a competitive mix FCT Doctoral Grant (National Application, 2013-2017), to be conducted in collaboration with the Carranza Lab at the Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (IBE-UPF, Barcelona), and that resulted in the thesis "Systematics and Biogeography of selected reptiles from North Africa" (University of Porto, 2017). From 2019 to 2020, he worked as environmental educator (Viana District School Project) and as Herpetologist (Parque das Serras do Porto) under a national funded project (Fundo Ambiental) in which he published a technical report on a monitoring system for herpetofauna within the national park. In 2021 he was selected for a junior-pos position (20 months) at the CBMA within the project River2Ocean, with the goal of uncovering biodiversity patterns on aquatic diversity in rivers from northwestern Portugal. At the moment, he works under the FCT/Aga Khan project Fish-DNA-Monitor as initial stage researcher, a project that aims to develop state-of-the-art DNA-based monitoring protocols for the management of Guinea-Bissau fisheries stocks, as well as formation and knowledge transference. Thorough the professional career resumed above, he developed a toolbox in laboratory molecular techniques, phylogenetic analysis, biogeographic reconstruction, environmental niche modelling, Geographic Information Sytems (QGIS) and bioinformatics (proficient in R). He has been team member in funded projects from local to international level, and principal Investigator in a SYNTHESYS grant, to develop work in European National History Museums. He has collaborated with several researchers from different international backgrounds and had working residences at several international research institutions (Natural Histories Museums of London, Paris, Genoa, Montpellier). He has published consistently in international journals with peer review, mainly as leading author. As a taxonomist, he was leading author in the description of a new species endemic to Oman - "Systematics of the Saharo-Arabian clade of the Palearctic naked-toed geckos with the description of a new species of Tropiocolotes endemic to Oman" (Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research). He published the first systematic study on the Sahara-Arabian genus Tropiocolotes - "Systematics, biogeography and evolution of the Saharo-Arabian naked-toed geckos genus Tropiocolotes" (Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution). He also reavaluated the natural history of two mediterranean snakes - Biogeographic and demographic history of the Mediterranean snakes Malpolon monspessulanus and Hemorrhois hippocrepis across the Strait of Gibraltar ( BMC Ecology and Evolution). He has also contributed as reviewer in multiple journals, from herpetology, biogeography, ecology and general studies. He currently supervises two master students thesis on DNA Barcoding related projects. From a science dissemination perspective, He has an intense activity, particularly in the last years, having collaborated in the organisation of events (congress, expositions and worshops) and produced content to Science Fairs (Scientist Night 2022). He is a member of the Local Action Group of Guimarães for the European project - BiodiveCity and coordinates a grassroots environmental association (Brigadas Verdes de Ronfe).