Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Campinas, Brazil, a city in the countryside of Sao Paulo state.
Where did you go to school and in what subject did you get your degree(s)?
I received my Bachelor’s of Science and Master of Science in Brazil at the Federal University of Rio Grande and the University of São Paulo. My doctoral degree in Oceanography is from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, where I studied larval dispersal around the Hawaiian Archipelago. This entailed the physical processes underlying connectivity and the impact of marine reserves.
How did you come to work at the Southeast Fisheries Science Center?
I started a year and a half ago as an assistant scientist at the University of Miami’s Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies. I work in the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Branch of the Sustainable Fisheries Division. Before that, I collaborated with center researchers as a postdoc and as an assistant scientist at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science. These fulfilling experiences led me to apply for my current position.
What do you do at the science center?
My research aims to explore the patterns of red snapper larval dispersal and recruitment in the Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico). Specifically, we aim to explore how larval dispersal driven by the local oceanography, species behavior, and demographics can shape red snapper population structure and dynamics. This knowledge can improve our understanding of population rebuilding rates and potential sustainable exploitation levels, particularly when considering changes in exploitation levels in different management jurisdictions. I will be collaborating to investigate environmental drivers of poor recruitment of the snapper-grouper complex in the South Atlantic.
What do you like most about your position?
I thoroughly enjoy so many aspects of the work. I love the interdisciplinary, collaborative research, and the opportunity to engage with and learn from people involved in so many different aspects of ocean science and conservation. This includes researchers, managers, educators, and a variety of stakeholders. I particularly enjoy the applied nature of our work, emphasizing conservation of marine resources, fisheries management, and recovery.
Finally, I find the work environment at the center to be incredibly fulfilling. I feel intellectually and professionally supported and stimulated. I also feel welcomed by a vibrant and diverse group of coworkers, which as an immigrant, woman, and mother, is encouraging and enlivening.
What advice would you have for someone interested in a career at NOAA Fisheries?
I feel I am still too new to the center to offer advice. But I would say that building connections to NOAA researchers is an important step. As a student—undergraduate or graduate— there are several opportunities for internships, fellowships, and scholarships around the country. I recommend checking them out.
I am a hands-on learner. I started working as an intern in my first month of undergraduate studies back in Brazil. I firmly believe that working on your field of interest, learning tools and methods, building relationships with researchers (be it at NOAA, academia, or industry), can help you grow both professionally and personally.
Is there a book, quote, or person that influenced you to be the person that you are today? Tell us why.
Finally, I want to give a nod to the many authors that not only influenced who I am today, but share important stories and voices from Latin America. I have a soft spot for magical realism, so Isabel Allende and the children’s author Ana Maria Machado are high on my list. But one of my favorite quotes about Latin America comes from Pablo Neruda’s poem Americas
"Y no hay belleza como esta belleza/ de América extendida en sus infiernos/ en sus cerros de piedra y poderío/ y en sus ríos atávicos y eternos.” In English it translates to “and there is no beauty like the beauty / of America stretched out in her infernos, / in her hills of rocks and power, / in her atavistic and eternal rivers.”
What do you like to do outside of work?
Outside of work you will usually find me outdoors spending time with my husband and two sons—we love nature walks, hiking, water activities, traveling, and the National Park System! I am also an avid gardener, organically growing more than 70 varieties of fruits and vegetables in our backyard. My pets also claim a stake of my non-working time—our pandemic cat, Meow, our dog, Elvis, and our nine entertaining pet chickens.
