He has developed world-leading research in the field of cellular nutrient sensing using yeast as experimental model. He elucidated the sensing and signaling network for glucose activation of the Ras-cAMP-PKA pathway, discovering the first nutrient-sensing G-protein coupled receptor and the molecular connection between sugar breakdown and the oncogenic Ras proteins revealing the importance of the Warburg effect for oncogenic potency, and also discovered nutrient transceptors as new cellular regulation mechanism. He also accomplished world-leading applied yeast research with the development of a powerful platform for genetic analysis of complex traits of industrial importance in yeast and its use for improvement of industrial yeast strains. This has led to collaboration projects with more than 20 companies world-wide, the establishment of GlobalYeast, and subsequently NovelYeast, aimed at provision of superior industrial yeast strains for production of bioethanol and bio-based chemicals with first- and second-generation substrates and the use of yeast for other applications in the food and medical sectors, including production of proteins, low-calorie sugars, probiotics and anticancer compounds. He has been teaching courses in molecular cell biology and yeast biotechnology, has organised practical courses in molecular biology in Brazil and several other countries, has supervised 77 PhDs and published about 290 papers in international scientific journals or as book chapters. He has received numerous invitations for lectures at international conferences and multiple prestigious appointments and excellence awards.