I have a Degree in Biomedical Sciences with emphasis in Pharmacology and Blood Bank work from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). During undergrad school, I was a part of a research group focused on Experimental Psychology, where I learned a lot about animal behavior, and the connection between alcohol and aggressiveness, impulsivity, and stress. After graduating, I worked as a research assistant in the School of Pharmacology at the university, where I met a great professor who knew of my passion for neuroscience, and later introduced me to Professor Zimmer, right when he was finishing his PhD. The vision he had for the study of Alzheimer’s Disease and to introduce the use of neuroimaging in the Department of Biochemistry interested me, so I decided to start my masters at the Department of Biochemistry, in order to work on that project and be a part of a new and exciting research group. Currently, I am working on my PhD, and my focus is on modifiable risk factors for neurodegenerative diseases, mainly, the impact of obesity and metabolic syndrome on the brain’s glucose metabolism.

I come from a family with very diverse interests. My mother is a Freudian psychoanalyst and my father is a computer analyst who also has a degree in theology. They raised my older brother, who is a translator and currently lives in Japan, my younger sister, who is taking her masters in Political Sciences, and me. My dream is to live in Canada. My parents worked very hard to give us the best possible education, so we could learn other languages and travel abroad the way they always wanted, so I think they are pretty happy with the way we all turned out.

In my free time, I love reading fantasy and science fiction novels, as well as romances. I help coordinate a women’s literature club, where we focus on reading and discussing different female authors, from all over the world, including many different styles. I also love watching Netflix, from documentaries and old sitcoms, to Asian drama and American series (Grey’s Anatomy is my favorite and I re-watch random episodes when I’m feeling down). I regularly practice pole dance, and I dream of one day having a pole at home, when I have the space. I love cooking and entertaining my friends. If I hadn’t become a scientist, I probably would have trained to be a chef.