Since 2002 Rita has been a key team member in a substantial number of expeditions and data collection excursions to the Brazilian Amazon. Those expeditions and data collection included research on colonization projects, agrarian reform, land conflicts, cattle ranching, logging expansion and roads patterns in the region.

Rita is a Brazilian agronomist with master degree in economics, who finished a PhD in geography at Michigan State University in the fall of 2012. Her dissertation was focused on participation of settlers from Brazilian Amazon in the cattle economy. Rita’s dissertation research compared policies and realities in the field and developed qualitative and quantitative analysis. Overall, results from her dissertation have shown that most settlers have cattle as their main economic activity and this involvement has impacted changes in land use in the region.

Starting on spring 2013, Rita has joined Gibbs Land Use and Environment Lab to work as a post-doctoral researcher on cattle and soy land-use issues in the Brazilian Amazon. On her free time Rita likes to watch movies, cook and discover new landscapes riding her bike.

Where are they Now?

Director of Imazon - Brazilian Research Institute