Fernando holds a B.Sc. degree in Geology from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro-UFRJ (1978), a M.Sc. degree in Remote Sensing and Applications in Geology from the National Institute for Space Research-INPE (1984) and a Ph.D. in Geophysics from the University of Nevada, Reno (1990). He is currently a Senior Consultant at PETROBRAS RD&I Center (CENPES) and a Visiting Professor at UFRJ/COPPE.