I am originally from Pindorama Brazil, but have been living in Aotearoa New Zealand since 2003. I am thus a Briwi — a Brazilian Kiwi — and have dual nationality.

I obtained my PhD in social and environmental psychology at the University of Auckland in 2007. Following completion of my PhD I worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the School of Population Health, University of Auckland, examining the impact of schools’ climate on the health and wellbeing of students. Prior to this I received my BA (organisational psychology) and MSc (social psychology) from Brazilian universities.

I worked at the Victoria University of Wellington for twelve years (2008-2020), becoming Deputy Director, Co-Director and Director of its Centre for Applied Cross-Cultural Research (2015-2019). In May 2020 I started a new role as Reader in Environmental Psychology at The University of Waikato, being promoted to Full Professor in 2022.