Dr Famelli is a biologist, ecologist, and geospatial scientist. She holds a MSc in Applied Ecology (ESALQ/USP) and a PhD in Conservation of Ecosystems jointly awarded by the ESALQ/USP, Brazil, and the University of Canberra, Australia. Her research focuses on freshwater ecosystems, with a particular emphasis on the ecology and sustainable management of biodiversity, especially reptiles and amphibians, in tropical ecosystems. Currently, she is a Daphne Jackson Fellow at the School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, UK. Her research project, supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), investigates how environmental changes in river systems affect both wildlife and traditional communities in Amazonia.​