Dr. Israel L. Cunha-Neto
Principal Investigator
Principal Investigator
Israel L. Cunha-Neto, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor | OE 239 (office) | OE 313 (lab)
Teaching:
BOT 3014: Botany (Fall 2026)
BOT 4503: Plant Physiology (Fall 2025)
2025 Assistant Professor – Florida International University
2021 Ph.D. Botany – University of São Paulo (Brazil)
2017 M.Sc. Botany – National Museum of Brazil (Brazil)
2015 B.S. Agronomy – Federal University of Recôncavo of Bahia (Brazil)
Current Members
Daniel V. Gonçalves
Research Assistant and Lab Manager
Florida International University
Betzi F. N. Vallejos
Undergraduate student (Environmental Studies)
Florida International University
Project: Structural aspects of wild and cultivated plants with atypical vasculatures
Mentor: Dr. Israel Cunha-Neto
Mahmod Hamad
Undergraduate student (Biology)
Florida International University
Project: Molecular evolution of candidate genes associated with atypical vasculatures
Mentor: Dr. Israel Cunha-Neto
Aleksandra Molchanova
Undergraduate student (Biology)
Florida International University
Project: Pilot studies on the genetic basis of atypical vasculature in beets (Beta vulgaris)
Mentor: Dr. Israel Cunha-Neto
Marcela Nova
Undergraduate student (Biology)
Florida International University
Project: Morpho-anatomical and genetic diversity of Gracilaria (Gracilariales, Rhodophyta)
Mentors: Dr. Israel Cunha-Neto and Dr. Fabiana Marchi
Dr. Fabiana Marchi dos Santos
Postdoctoral Fellow
Instituto de Pesquisas Ambientais (IPA), São Paulo, Brazil | Florida International University
Project: Differential abundance of haploid and diploid phases of Gracilaria tikvahiae (Gracilariales, Rhodophyta) along a temperature, nutrient, and geographic gradient in Florida, USA.
Supervisors: Dr. Mutue Toyota Fujii, Dr. Ligia Collado-Vides, and Dr. Israel Cunha-Neto
Caio C. A. Bispo
Master's student (Botany)
Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Project: The Wood Anatomy of the Laurel Family: Diversity and Evolution of Wood Characters.
Advisors: Dr. Claudia F. Barros, Dr. Arno Brandes, and Dr. Israel Cunha-Neto
John Karlo C. Saddoy
Master's student (Forestry and Natural Resources)
University of the Philippines, Los Baños, Philippines
Project: Ecology and evolution of lianas in the Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve, Philippines
Advisors: Dr. Marilyn S. Combalicer and Dr. Israel Cunha-Neto
Past Members
Natália F. Marques
Master's student (Botany)
National Museum of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Project: Stem Development in the Liana Serjania piscatoria (Paullinieae, Sapindaceae).
Advisors: Dr. Genise V. Somner and Dr. Israel Cunha-Neto