Latest Media Publications

From Brazópolis to space: INPE joins international study revealing a planet eight times the mass of Earth

TV UAI · September 4, 2026

Coverage highlighting the contribution of observations obtained at the Pico dos Dias Observatory to the characterization of the microlensing planet KMT-2025-BLG-0912Lb, with an estimated mass of about eight Earth masses. The article also discusses my participation in the observing campaign and the involvement of graduate students in the acquisition of the Brazilian data.

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With INPE participation, international study detects a low-mass planet

INPE · August 31, 2026

INPE report on an international study of two planetary systems discovered through gravitational microlensing. Observations from the Pico dos Dias Observatory recorded part of the planetary anomaly of KMT-2025-BLG-0912, helping characterize a planet with a mass close to eight Earth masses. I was responsible for the OPD data used in the study.

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Job Experience

Researcher and Professor

2026 - present
Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE)

Researcher at the Astrophysics Division and faculty member of the graduate program in Astrophysics.

Resident Astronomer of the SOAR Telescope

2025 - 2026
NOIRLab / Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope

Research in stellar astrophysics and support for Goodman, TripleSpec and SAM+SAMI instruments.

Postdoctoral Researcher

2021 - 2025
Laboratório Nacional de Astrofísica (LNA)

Research and technical work related to microlensing, instrumentation, observing support at SOAR and OPD, and SPARC4 commissioning.

Graduate Researcher

2015 - 2021
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN)

MSc and PhD research on gravitational microlensing and exoplanet detection.

Undergraduate researcher and outreach fellow

2011 - 2015
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG)

Research on infrared galaxies and activities related to the Observatório Sofia.

Main Research Topics

Gravitational Microlensing and Exoplanets - Detection and characterization of low-mass exoplanets through gravitational microlensing.
Stellar Astrophysics - Solar analogs, stellar rotation, activity cycles, eclipsing binaries, and stellar parameters.
Astronomical Instrumentation - Observational support, spectrographs, imaging cameras, SPARC4 commissioning, and data pipelines.
Time-domain and Multimessenger Astronomy - GRANDMA observations, transient follow-up, GRBs, supernovae and kilonova searches.
Observational Data Analysis - Photometry, spectroscopy, time-series analysis, and computational tools for large astronomical datasets.

Selected Publications

Selected and complete publication list compiled from my Lattes CV and ADS records. Use + after et al. to expand the author list, and +info to display abstracts and extra links when available.

ExoClock Project. IV. A Homogeneous Catalog of 620 Updated Exoplanet Ephemerides
Kokori, A.; Tsiaras, A.; Pantelidou, G.; Jones, A.; Siakas, A.; Edwards, B.; Tinetti, G.; Wünsche, A.; Jongen, Y.; Libotte, F.; Corrêa, M.; Mugnai, L. V.; Bocchieri, A.; Capildeo, A. R.; Poultourtzidis, E.; Sidiropoulos, C.; Bewersdorff, L.; Lekkas, G.; Grivas, G.; Almeida, L.; et al. authors
2026; ApJS, v.283, p.5
Scientific Validation of the SPARC4 Pipeline: Multi-band Imaging, Polarimetry, and Photometric Time Series for Improved Characterization of Transiting Exoplanets
Martioli, E.; Rodrigues, C. V.; Campagnolo, J. C. N.; Jablonski, F. J.; Mattiuci, A. C.; Falkenberg, F.; Santos, G. H. S.; Mello, M. M. C.; Lima, I. J.; Monteiro, F. V. M.; Fraga, L.; de Almeida, L.; et al. authors
2026; PASP, v.138, p.054502
SPARC4 Control System
Bernardes, D.; Verducci Jr., O.; Rodrigues, F.; Rodrigues, C. V.; Fraga, L.; Martioli, E.; Gneiding, C. D.; Alves, A. L. M.; Romão, J.; Andrade, L.; Almeida, L. de; et al. authors
2025; PASP, v.137, p.035003
The PLATO mission
Rauer, H.; Aerts, C.; Cabrera, J.; Deleuil, M.; Erikson, A.; Gizon, L.; Goupil, M. J.; Heras, A.; Walloschek, T.; Lorenzo-Alvarez, J.; Marliani, F.; Martin-García, C.; Mas-Hesse, J. M.; O'Rourke, L.; Osborn, H.; Pagano, I.; Piotto, G.; Pollacco, D.; Ragazzoni, R.; Almeida, L.; et al. authors
2025; Experimental Astronomy, v.59, p.1
A Comprehensive Analysis of Three Microlensing Planet Candidates with the Planet/Binary Degeneracy
Zhang, J.; Zang, W.; Ryu, Y.-H.; Sumi, T.; Udalski, A.; Mao, S.; Albrow, M. D.; Chung, S.-J.; Gould, A.; Han, C.; Hwang, K.-H.; Jung, Y. K.; Shin, I.-G.; Shvartzvald, Y.; Yee, J. C.; Yang, H.; Cha, S.-M.; Kim, D.-J.; Kim, S.-L.; Almeida, L.; et al. authors
2025; MNRAS, v.545, p.1-16
Gaia22dkvLb: A Microlensing Planet Potentially Accessible to Radial-velocity Characterization
Wu, Z.; Dong, S.; Yi, T.; Liu, Z.; El-Badry, K.; Gould, A.; Wyrzykowski, Ł.; Rybicki, K. A.; Bachelet, E.; Christie, G. W.; de Almeida, L.; et al. authors
2024; AJ, v.168, p.62
An Earth-mass planet in a time of COVID-19: KMT-2020-BLG-0414Lb
Zang, W.; Han, C.; Kondo, I.; Yee, J. C.; Lee, C.-U.; Gould, A.; Mao, S.; de Almeida, L.; Shvartzvald, Y.; Zhang, X.; Albrow, M. D.; Chung, S.-J.; Hwang, K.-H.; Jung, Y. K.; Ryu, Y.-H.; Shin, I.-G.; Cha, S.-M.; Kim, D.-J.; Kim, H.-W.; Kim, S.-L.; et al. authors
2021; Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics, v.21, p.239
Rotation of Solar Analogs Crossmatching Kepler and Gaia DR2
Nascimento Jr., J.-D.; Almeida, L. de; Velloso, E. N.; Anthony, F.; Barnes, S. A.; Saar, S. H.; Meibom, S.; Costa, J. S.; Castro, M.; Galarza, J. Y.; Lorenzo-Oliveira, D.; Beck, P. G.; Meléndez, J. authors
2020; ApJ, v.898, p.173
Optimized cutting off transit algorithm to study stellar rotation from PLATO mission light curves
de Almeida, L.; Anthony, F.; Mattiuci, A. C.; Castro, M.; da Costa, J. S.; Samadi, R.; do Nascimento, J.-D. authors
2020; Experimental Astronomy, v.50, p.1-0
Orbital Period Variation of KIC 10544976: Applegate Mechanism versus Light Travel Time Effect
Almeida, L. A.; de Almeida, L.; Damineli, A.; Rodrigues, C. V.; Castro, M.; Lopes, C. E. Ferreira; Jablonski, F.; do Nascimento, J.-D.; Pereira, M. G. authors
2019; AJ, v.157, p.150
Microlensing Path Parameterization for Earth-like Exoplanet Detection around Solar-mass Stars
de Almeida, L.; do Nascimento, J.-D. authors
2018; AJ, v.156, p.172

Teaching Experience

Graduate Courses

Observational Astrophysics Techniques (AST-203-4)

Professor / Lecturer
INPE
2026.2 — Ongoing

Responsible for Lectures 7–12 in the second course block.

Undergraduate Courses

Outreach Courses

Peer-Review Activities

Reviewer

2023 - present
Rural and Remote Health

Reviewer

2021 - present
PLoS One

Upcoming events

XXVI Curso de Introdução a Astronomia e Astrofísica - CIAA 2026
Lecturer
São José dos Campos, Brazil
20-24/Jul/2026

Extension course hosted by INPE. This entry is editable in EDITAR_SITE.html.

XLIX Reunião Anual da Sociedade Astronômica Brasileira
TBD
Praiamar Natal Hotel, Natal-RN, Brazil
25-30/Oct/2026

Annual meeting of the Brazilian Astronomical Society.

Outreach Activities

Public talks on exoplanets and observational astronomy

Speaker
Multiple locations
2011 - present

Talks and outreach activities listed in Talks and Events.

Observatório Sofia

Coordinator / collaborator
FURG / online
2011 - present

Astronomical observations, astrophotography, and public science content.

Projects

PLATO stellar-science collaboration - Stellar rotation and limb-darkening work in preparation for the PLATO mission.
GRANDMA collaboration - Observation, reduction and analysis of transient events since 2022.
SPARC4 commissioning and scientific validation - Support for commissioning, pipelines and science validation of the SPARC4 instrument.
Detection and characterization of exoplanets through gravitational microlensing - Research line developed during MSc/PhD and observational campaigns.
Observatório Sofia - Astronomical observations, astrophotography and public outreach.
The Role of Mergers and Interactions in Luminous and Ultra-Luminous Infrared Galaxies - Spitzer/IRS analysis of LIRGs and ULIRGs.