Saúl developed a strong interest in soils ecotoxicology throughout his academic education at the University of Porto in Portugal where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in Biology and later his master’s degree in Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. During this period Saul acquired experience with research technics related to the chemical and biological quality assessment of soils and water. His previous works were mainly focused on the ecotoxicological impact of human actions on soils functions and ecosystem services and searching for more sustainable and less hazardous chemical compounds. After graduation, he worked as a research fellow on a project aiming to develop new nanopesticide formulations, study their efficiency and characterize their ecotoxicological impacts on aquatic and terrestrial non-target species.

Currently, Saúl is enrolled as a PhD student in the Department of Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. His research within PRORISK focuses on investigating the impact of chemical stressors on the ecosystem services provided by soil micro-arthropods. In his work, a trait-based approach combined with an adverse outcome pathway approach will be explored as tools for predicting effects of chemical stressors on ecosystem services.