Débora M. De Freitas holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences by James Cook University, Australia. She is currently an Assistant Professor at the São Paulo State University (UNESP). Débora already worked at a research fellow in Brazil (with the Technological Institute of Aeronautics) and Australia (with Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security the Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies). Débora has a multidisciplinary background in Oceanography by the Federal University of Rio Grande, Brazil) with complementary studies in marine policy (Center for the Study of Marine Policy, Delaware. Recently, Débora was nominated Australia Global Alumni Ambassador for Brazil by DFAT.