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University of Minho – Department of Earth Sciences

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José Bernardo R. Brilha

José Bernardo R. Brilha

Summary

José Brilha is a Full Professor at the Department of Earth Sciences and a researcher at the Institute of Earth Sciences (ICT). He graduated in Geology from the University of Coimbra (1987) and received his PhD in 1997 from the University of Minho and the Université de Poitiers, with a thesis on the crystallisation and alteration of a basaltic chimney in the Lisbon Volcanic Complex; he obtained his Habilitation in Geology in 2013.

He works on geodiversity, geological heritage and geoconservation. He holds the UNESCO Chair on Geodiversity and Geoconservation at the University of Minho, is a member of the Scientific Board of UNESCO's International Geoscience Programme (IGCP) and of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, and evaluates nominations for UNESCO World Heritage and UNESCO Global Geoparks. He founded and edited the journal Geoheritage (Springer), was president of ProGEO and took part in establishing International Geodiversity Day, approved by UNESCO in 2021.

At the University of Minho he has directed the Earth Sciences Centre and served as vice-president of the School of Sciences and president of its School Board.

Compiled from: CIÊNCIAVITAE, ORCID

Research interests

  • Geodiversity
  • Geological heritage
  • Geoconservation
  • Geoparks
  • Nature conservation
  • Natural World Heritage

Education

  • 2013
    Habilitation in Geology
    University of Minho
  • 1997
    PhD in Sciences (Geology)
    University of Minho and Université de Poitiers (France)
    Thesis: «Cinética de cristalização e de alteração pós-magmática de uma chaminé basáltica do Complexo Vulcânico de Lisboa - Modelização do arrefecimento e do mecanismo de fracturação em profundidade.»
  • 1987
    BSc in Geology
    University of Coimbra

Current position

  • 2017 –
    Full Professor
    Department of Earth Sciences, University of Minho
  • 2025 –
    UNESCO Chair on Geodiversity and Geoconservation
    University of Minho
  • 2017 –
    Researcher
    Institute of Earth Sciences (ICT)

Recent publications

  1. Inventory and assessment of geological sites at Alto Ribeira Touristic State Park (São Paulo, Brazil): A contribution to its management. International Journal of Geoheritage and Parks, 2024. doi:10.1016/j.ijgeop.2024.07.003
  2. The Brazilian soil priorities. Geoderma Regional, 2022. doi:10.1016/j.geodrs.2022.e00503
  3. A framework for quantifying geodiversity at the local scale: a case study from the Rokua UNESCO Global Geopark. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences, 2024. doi:10.1098/rsta.2023.0059
  4. Geoconservation at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences, 2024. doi:10.1098/rsta.2023.0053
  5. Too much diversity-Multiple definitions of geodiversity hinder its potential in biodiversity research. Diversity and Distributions, 2024. doi:10.1111/ddi.13843
  6. Synergies between potential key geoheritage areas (KGAs) and key biodiversity areas (KBAs) in Spain and Scotland: Toward a holistic nature conservation framework. Journal for Nature Conservation, 2026. doi:10.1016/j.jnc.2026.127232

Publications since 2021 (ORCID and OpenAlex), ordered by the impact of the journal or series (two-year mean citedness in OpenAlex).

Full list of publications on ORCID

Information compiled from public sources: CIÊNCIAVITAE, ORCID, OpenAlex, Instituto de Ciências da Terra (photograph), accessed on 20-10-2026. To correct or complete this profile, use the website’s content manager or contact the Department’s Director.