Life
often takes one on unexpected paths. I never dreamed that I would become a
scientific editor when I studied history and philosophy at Utah State
University. Fortunately, the massive amount of reading and writing required by
these courses sharpened my English skills. I planned to work in museums, so I
did a master’s degree in history museum studies at the State University of New
York. However, decent jobs in museums are scarce, and that dream did not come
to fruition.

Then,
I met and married a microbiologist studying for his PhD at Utah State
University. After he finished his degree, he was required to return to his
native Brazil, and I followed. He was hired as a professor and researcher at
the Universidade de Vale do Paraiba (UNIVAP), which also hired me to edit their
researchers’ articles. Most of the researchers could write in English but were not
good enough to publish in international journals. I significantly helped
increase the publication rate and impact factor of their publications. Through
editing articles in a variety of disciplines, I fell in love with science and editing.

In
2015, UNIVAP decided to downsize its research programs and laid off many of its
top researchers, including my husband. I had already begun editing and
translating articles for researchers from other Brazilian universities. Eventually,
I increased my clientele to include researchers from throughout Brazil. I have
edited about 1500 articles, and over 1100 have been successfully published.

I combined my love of history and science by researching
and writing a book
about the life of a scientist, titled The Adventures of Donald W. Roberts,
International Insect Pathologist, which was published in 2021. In addition,
I am the author of seven articles, including three as the first author, published
in high-impact international journals. My other scientific endeavor is as the
co-chair of the International Symposium on Fungal Stress (ISFUS), which has
been held five times in Brazil.