About Speaker

Dr. Carla Ribeiro Machado e Portugal speaks Portuguese, English, and Spanish while working as a simultaneous translator/interpreter for Portuguese-English, and English-Portuguese. She began her academic career at the Federal University of Uberlândia, graduating in 2004. She then completed a Master's in Environmental Engineering, relocated to the United States, and completed her Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences after researching the biostabilization of unpaved roads to minimize the impact of hydric erosion. Her research has resulted in 27 empirical listings. Since 2008, Dr. Portugal has served as a co-founder of a consultancy company in Brazil for Environment and Agriculture projects. She consulted with the Brazilian federal government in developing and approving one of the few Category II centers within UNESCO focused on Education for Water management for Portuguese-speaking countries. She also worked for the government of Minas Gerais developing strategies to enhance the abilities of small farmers and settlements to achieve better agricultural practices towards organic and sustainable practices. She served as Environmental Education Supervisor and Environmental Legislation Supervisor at Instituto Inhotim, a significant Botanical Garden in Brazil. Since 2019, Dr. Portugal has served as an Instructor, Mentor, Researcher, and Translator for the Soil Food Web School. Her robust skills consistently guide her international students toward success.