Council Officers
FIU PAS council officers meet monthly to discuss and develop opportunities for networking and professional enrichment for postdocs at FIU. Council members serve as liaisons to the broader postdoctoral community and represent the interests of Postdoctoral Scholars to the Office of Postdoctoral Scholar Services and to FIU. If you have suggestions for how the Office of Postdoctoral Scholar Services can further support the professional development of FIU postdoctoral scholars, please email one of the council officers listed below.
Glaucia Maria de Mendonça Fernandes, PhD – Events Coordinator
Glaucia Maria de Mendonça Fernandes is a translational cancer researcher from Brazil and a Postdoctoral Associate at Florida International University, working in the Neuropath Lab under the supervision of Dr. José Javier Otero. Her research focuses on the molecular characterization of brain tumors, particularly glioblastoma and meningioma, integrating imaging, molecular profiling, in vitro models, and computational approaches to identify clinically relevant biomarkers. Dr. Fernandes earned her PhD in Health Sciences from the Faculty of Medicine of São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP, Brazil), supported by FAPESP and CAPES. She also holds an MBA in Data Science and Analytics from the University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP, Brazil)) and completed postdoctoral training in Neuroscience at The Ohio State University (OSU, US), where she developed expertise in neuropathology, epitranscriptomics, imaging analysis, and translational oncology. Prior to her research career in the U.S., she dedicated over ten years to teaching biology at the high school level, serving in instructional and coordination roles that strengthened her leadership, organizational, and mentoring skills, including the planning and coordination of academic activities and community-focused initiatives.
Department/Lab:
Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
Research Interests:
Neuro-oncology; glioblastoma and meningioma; cancer stem cells; epigenetic and epitranscriptomic regulation (m6A, non-coding RNAs); integration of imaging and omics data; machine learning applied to oncology; precision medicine.
Robert Tomasetti, PhD – Community Outreach Coordinator
Robert Tomasetti is a postdoctoral associate and marine benthic biogeochemist bridging the gap between organismal physiology and global ecology. He brings over two decades of field-led experience, spanning the coral reefs of the Indo-West Pacific to the coastal waters of Florida, integrating natural history with advanced stoichiometric modeling and cartography. Dr. Tomasetti earned his Ph.D. From Florida International University, where his research specialized in the global biogeography of marine benthic macroalgae. Currently, he leads a harmful macroalgal monitoring project in Biscayne Bay in collaboration with Miami-Dade County’s Department of Environmental Resources Management (DERM), linking local nutrient signatures to global stoichiometric baselines. His research also involves the development of a global macroalgal atlas at a 5° × 5° resolution. Having a proven track record of institutional leadership, he co-led the comprehensive redesign and expansion of FIU’s General Microbilogy laboratory curriculum, a collaborative effort that increased course capacity for pre-medical students by hundreds annually and resulted in a principal-authored laboratory manual and remote-teaching supplement. He is a proponent of open science and inter-laboratory methodological alignment, specializing in the translation of complex chemical signatures into actionable management strategies. His professional background includes significant experience in scientific operations and risk management, having served in leadership and administrative roles at Mote Marine Laboratory and the Banyan Tree Maldives Marine Lab. He has a commitment to mentorship, scientific community engagement, and the dissemination of impactful data products, and is a member of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, Phycological Society of America, and Society for Conservation Biology. He also manages the FIU ‘Sargnet’ listserv for global Sargassum news.
Department/Lab: Institute of Environment, Biological Sciences
Research Interests: Global biogeography; marine benthic stoichiometry (C:N:P); carbonate correction factors; phylogeography; coastal resource management; open science workflows; invasive species monitoring; historical phycological collections.
Advisory Board Members
The purpose of the advisors is to provide guidance to the FIU PAS Council and help them navigate unforeseen situations. Advisors are FIU faculty and/or staff with experience in postdoctoral affairs, conflict resolution, or rules of conduct.
Maureen Pelham, MS, MHA – Administrative Advisor
Senior Director, Research Development & Postdoctoral Scholar Services.
Office: MARC 435B. Email: mpelham@fiu.edu
Preciosa Martinez-Motta, PhD, MS, RD/LDN, RN – Faculty Advisor
Visiting Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Dietetics and Nutrition
Office: AHC5-311. Email: premarti@fiu.edu