He holds a PhD in kimberlite geology from Unicamp and conducted academic research on kimberlites at the Universities of Western Australia and Curtin in Australia, and the University of Alberta in Canada. He has 20 years of experience in diamond exploration and was instrumental in the development of the Braúna Diamond Mine in Bahia, and the Jaibarás Project in Pará, Coromandel in Minas Gerais, and the Juina Project in Mato Grosso. He gained international experience exploring kimberlites in Fort a la Corne, Canada, and Lunda Norte, Angola.