Originally a kid passionate about animals and nature, Juliana earned a BSc in Biological Sciences, followed by a MSc and a PhD in Genetics, all from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. During her academic career she got interested in issues pertaining wildlife trafficking and did her PhD in collaboration with the US FWS National Forensics Laboratory, interested in origin assignment of birds seized from the illegal trade. During this process, she was nominated TED Fellow/Senior Fellow 2009-2012 and later Nat Geo Emerging Explorer in 2014. She was awarded the Courage Prize for Women in Science and Exploration by Wings WorldQuest in 2016 and received the Partnerships for Conservation award by Interpol’s Wildlife Crime Work Group in 2023. Currently, she is the Executive Director of the Freeland branch for South America and part of the Steering Committee of the Global Initiative to End Wildlife Crime.