How rapidly can a forest regenerate, and how can we assess whether biodiversity is returning along with the growth of new trees? These questions motivate biologist Anderson Carvalho Vieira, who has pioneered a technique to track the recovery of wildlife by analyzing invisible DNA traces from birds and butterflies found in air, water, and soil samples.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences and a master’s degree in environmental sciences from the State University of Southwest Bahia, as well as a Ph.D. in genetics and molecular biology from the State University of Santa Cruz. Inspired by his aunt, who was both his educator and godmother, and coming from a large family of biologists, Vieira is the second of four siblings. He is married and an avid soccer fan who roots for São Paulo Futebol Clube. He is also passionate about music and continues to fulfill his childhood dream of playing the violin, which he began at the age of seven.