Lívia Mariotto

About

Lívia is a postgraduate student in the Department of Chemistry at the Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences, and Letters in Ribeirão Preto – University of São Paulo, pursuing a direct doctoral program under the supervision of Dr. Aline Thais Bruni. Her research topic is “Computational Chemistry and Multivariate Statistics applied to the forensic study of substituted N-2-methoxybenzyl phenylethylamines (NBOMes),” employing in silico methods to investigate forensic issues related to such substances, broadening the studies beyond NBOMes to include NBOHs and 2C molecules. The in silico methods applied are primarily DFT calculations and software that predicts the toxic behaviour of these substances.

She is currently a visiting researcher at the University of Kent, carrying out her sandwich doctoral programme at the institution through the Institutional Program of Internationalization – CAPES, under the supervision of Dr Felipe Fantuzzi and Prof Nigel Mason. The project, to be developed over six months, is titled Computational study applied to the structural differentiation between NPS pro-drugs and their metabolites, aiming to extend the in silico studies on NPS by addressing their use as pro-drugs and metabolites, conducting the most appropriate theoretical study to infer the structural and toxicological characteristics of these substances.

Lívia graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry with a focus in Forensic Chemistry from the University of São Paulo in 2020, where she conducted scientific research on Brazilian drug laws. She is currently pursuing an MBA in Data Science and Analytics at the Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz – University of São Paulo and is completing her Pedagogical Training for Non-Licensed Graduates in Chemistry at Cruzeiro do Sul Virtual.

Lívia is Brazilian, born in Ribeirão Preto, in the state of São Paulo. She has a passion for music, fashion, and travel. She hopes to use these six months in Canterbury to develop both scientifically and personally.

Research interests

Computational forensics; New psychoactive substances; Density functional theory; In silico methods; Toxicity