I am a plant ecologist and biologist and my professional goals are centered around understanding the effects of climate change on tropical wet and dry forests and agricultural systems. My recent postdoc fellowships (2017-2019) were awarded by the Schlumberger Foundation, which focuses on helping women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) fields.
Originally from Brazil, my passion lies in studying plants, forest ecosystems and agricultural landscapes, and in that capacity, I have conducted multidisciplinary research involving a combination of field ecology experiments and plant physiology on both dry forests and rainforest ecosystems in Brazil and Australia. During my Ph.D. and recent postdocs for example, I worked on a large-scale rainfall exclusion study where I studied mature trees with a canopy crane and examined how their traits related to water conduction change when affected by drought. I have also worked in climate-controlled glasshouses looking at the growth and physiological changes in plants exposed to elevated heat and atmospheric CO2.
More recently, my interests in regenerative agriculture has led me to collaborations with local farmers on the Atherton Tablelands to examine how agriculture can move towards greater environmental sustainability and food security.