Before founding Quadros Bio Advisory, Dr. de Quadros served as Head of Science of Earth Microbial Canada — a biological input company developing PGPR-based inoculants for agriculture and controlled-environment production. The following applied R&D projects were designed, executed, and delivered under her direct scientific leadership.

TURFGRASS INOCULANT DEVELOPMENT: EN-TURF

Designed, tested, and validated a microbial inoculant specifically for turfgrass of Golf Courses. Formulation was refined through multiple iteration cycles and positioned for commercial launch under the Earth Microbial product brand.

Understanding the regulatory landscape for biological inputs is a core component of every Quadros Bio Advisory assessment.

• CFIA and U.S. EPA/USDA frameworks — fertilizer and supplement registration under the Fertilizers Act, including Schedule II biological inputs
• Regulatory documentation preparation — literature review, biosafety requirements, statistical analysis, efficacy test document production
• ECOCERT certification — hands-on experience securing organic certification for commercial microbial products
• Brazilian MAPA and SisGen — direct familiarity with the Brazilian inoculant registration system, enabling realistic assessment of Brazilian technology for North American market entry

Quadros Bio Advisory is an active advocate for regulatory reform in Canadian biological input approval processes, working to reduce unnecessary barriers that slow commercially viable innovations from reaching farmers.

As a Postdoctoral Fellow and Research Associate at the University of Toronto Scarborough, Dr. de Quadros led a programme of industry-funded (Weston Foundation) applied research at the intersection of microbial ecology, food science, and controlled-environment agriculture. This work produced peer-reviewed publications, industry partnerships, and foundational IP in microbial inoculant technology.

ALTERING PLANT MICROBIOME FOR FLAVOUR AND NUTRITION — GEORGE WESTON CHALLENGE / SEEDING FOOD INNOVATION

Led a four-phase, $245,000 industry-funded research programme in partnership with George Weston Ltd. and Loblaws, investigating whether targeted microbial inoculants could improve the flavour, aroma, and nutritional quality of hydroponically grown crops. The programme involved screening of 12+ bacterial strains and consortia across basil, mint, and bell pepper; full genomic sequencing and biosynthetic gene cluster analysis of top-performing strains; GC-MS flavour compound profiling; total polyphenol quantification; and multi-phase formulation development including liquid, gel, powder, and seed coating formats. Statistically significant improvements were documented in chlorophyll content, root and aerial biomass, and key flavour molecules including eugenol, eucalyptol, and cedrelanol. The programme concluded with a patent application milestone and established the scientific basis for commercializing endophyte-based inoculants in controlled-environment agriculture.

Dr. de Quadros has held teaching appointments at three universities across Brazil and Canada, developing and delivering graduate and undergraduate courses in microbial ecology, environmental microbiology, soil biochemistry, and genetics of microorganisms.

UNIVERSITY TEACHING · GRADUATE & UNDERGRADUATE · CANADA & BRAZIL

Lecturer — University of Toronto Scarborough, University of Waterloo & UFRGS

At the University of Toronto Scarborough (2020–2022), Dr. de Quadros developed and taught Environmental Microbiology (EESC 30H3, undergraduate) and Microorganisms and the Environment (EES1104, graduate) — including full syllabus development, lab manual authorship, and transition to inclusive online delivery during COVID-19. Both courses received outstanding student evaluations. At the University of Waterloo (2022), she taught Genetics of Microorganisms (BIOL 431), a senior undergraduate course integrating microbial genomics and functional ecology.

Earlier, as Collaborator Professor at UFRGS (2013–2016), she led curriculum development and laboratory design for courses in Microbiology, Industrial and Public Waste Treatment, and Soil Biochemistry, and supervised graduate students. She also delivered a 160-hour no-tillage transition training programme for farmers in Angola (Huambo and Kwanza Sul provinces), combining soil restoration science with practical field implementation. This breadth of teaching — from Brazilian universities to Canadian graduate programmes to African field extension — reflects the same applied, cross-contextual scientific thinking that underpins every QBI engagement.

SOIL, PLANT, AND AIRBORNE MICROBIOMES · RECUPERATION OF DEGRADED SOILS

The scientific credibility behind every Quadros Bio Advisory assessment is grounded in over a decade of original research across soil science, microbial ecology, nitrogen fixation, and bioremediation — conducted across Universities in Brazil, the United States, and Canada. During that period, Dr. de Quadros crafted worldwide partnerships (Rothamsted Research Institute/England; University of Switzerland; Everglades Research and Education Center/ University of Florida) that brought geographical and cultural discernment. Working with multidisciplinary teams, Dr. Quadros produced more than 35 peer-reviewed publications with 2,200+ citations.

Dr. de Quadros completed her PhD in Soil Science, Biochemistry and Microbiology at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil (2009–2013), with a visiting PhD period at the University of Florida (2011–2013). Her doctoral research investigated biological nitrogen fixation by Azospirillum spp. in tropical no-tillage maize systems, the influence of legume cover crops on soil microbial diversity and fertility, and the ecology of soil microbial communities under petroleum hydrocarbon contamination and bioremediation strategies. This work established her command of the full soil-plant-microbe-environment system — from molecular community analysis to field-scale agronomic outcomes.

A subsequent postdoctoral fellowship at UFRGS (2013–2016) extended this work into coal mining impacts on soil microbial biomass and diversity, oily sludge biostimulation in landfarming systems, and microbial fuel biodeterioration — producing a series of highly cited publications in Applied Soil Ecology, International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, and Frontiers in Microbiology. This foundational body of work directly informs QBA’s approach to evaluating the scientific validity of biological product claims.

URBAN AGRICULTURE · SOIL SCIENCE · CARBON MEASUREMENT · GRANT STRATEGY · TORONTO

Through a formal partnership with Evergreen/ Brick Works, Dr. Quadros is a scientific advisor on the Centre for Better Public Spaces

SOIL SCIENCE · REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE · SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Scientific lead on a field programme evaluating no-tillage strategies for the recuperation of degraded agricultural land. Work included teaching students and farmers on Soil Genesis and Soil Biological, Chemical, and Mechanical Quality through theorical and practical classes during 1 month, 8h per day.