Erica Vidal is an Oceanographer with both M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Biological Oceanography, the latter obtained in 2000 at Texas A&M University, USA. Her research interests focus on the developmental biology, ecology and culture of cephalopod early life stages. More specifically, her research explores the morphological and ecological adaptations of paralarvae by integrating ecology and physiological mechanisms. Currently, she is interested in assessing the ways in which paralarvae learning capabilities are shaped by exogenous factors.

Paulo Soares is a Biologist, lover of the sea and its ecological interactions. He graduated in Biology at the Catholic University of Paraná, in Curitiba (2000). He is our lab technician and is interested in improving and optimizing the culture techniques used in the laboratory. He enjoys teamwork and investigating how to solve the problems arising in his workplace. He also loves to work with the amazing cephalopods and even more with the people who actively share our lab daily.

Danielle is a PhD student in Coastal and Oceanic Systems at UFPR, with a degree in Oceanography and an M.Sc in Biological Oceanography, both at the University of Rio Grande (FURG). She has experience in copepod culture, growth experiments, biomass and secondary production. Danielle's research will evaluate the viability of using copepods as a live food for rearing octopus paralarvae. In addition, she will focus on understanding the factors that determine predatory behavior in octopus paralarvae, using zooplankton as prey.

Gabrielle is graduated in Oceanography at UFPR. She has worked with bivalves, but now wants conduct behavioral studies with more advanced mollusks, precisely with octopus embryos and paralarvae.

Aline Nakamori is an undergraduate student of Oceanography at UFPR and has a technical degree in business administration and in computer science support. She is especially passionate about the cognitive capacity of cephalopods and intends to learn more about their particularities, and the influence of environmental factors on the diversity and survival of their paralarvae.

Irina is an undergraduate student of Oceanography at the University of Paraná (UFPR) and has interest in the biological area of oceanography, particularly in ecology. She is fascinated by animals and plants, especially by the incredible capacity of camouflage and bioluminescence of cephalopods.