Hi! I’m Laura.

I am a leaf beetle taxonomist who loves to code. I have been working as a Database Analyst/Biodiversity Informatician for 6+ years (Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Arizona State University), doing a wide variety of data-related tasks, including developing and managing different Symbiota portals from many scientific disciplines, creating and developing tools to aid scientific research, cleaning/processing Biodiversity Data and facilitating access to Biodiversity Data through public websites and APIs.

I’ve always been passionate about programming, having written my first lines of code as a child. Since joining grad school (2008), I started coding to solve problems that I faced while doing research. I’ve worked as a full-stack web developer for the industry, coding everything from responsive newsletters, to one-page websites and custom Wordpress themes for e-commerces. In 2015 I received my Doctoral Degree in Zoology at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, where I specialized in Systematics of Leaf Beetles. I have been merging computer science and biology ever since. My favorite technologies to play with are Python, JavaScript, PHP, SQL and CSS.

I like to imagine and make things, and that is also reflected in my hobbies, which include arts & crafts. After graduating, I founded a small brand of handcrafted items called Fina Paca, which I now keep as personal page to showcase my crafts.

I love the interface between science, creativity, and technology, and I’m hoping I can build a career in that multidisciplinary area. I support open science, and I try to encourage the use of technology tools in Taxonomy and Systematics. I am also active in promoting science communication, and offer support to fellow women scientists in Brazil, through a community-driven website that I developed and manage (with the help of a team of editors) called Mulheres na Ciência.

You can find me on GitHub, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

For scientific profiles, find me on Google Scholar, Scopus or ORCID. You can see a short version of my CV here.