[1] She is currently full professor in physics at the Catholic University of America and collaborates with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
Born in Jundiaí, São Paulo and growing up in Rio de Janeiro, she became inspired by the moon despite not having a telescope as a child.
The family moved from São Paulo to Belo Horizonte and settled in Rio de Janeiro.
De Mello joined the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) as a postdoctoral fellow from 1997 to 1999.
She is a member of the teams taking the deepest images of the Universe with Hubble HDF-S,[4] GOODS,[5] CANDELS[6] e UVUDF.
[10] As Vice Provost, de Mello oversees the Libraries of the Catholic University of America and advocates for the humanities.
As such, she has hosted dozens of dignitaries including ministers, ambassadors, provosts, directors, businesses people, artists and philanthropists.
[8][3] She has also written two motivational book for students to study science, Living with the Stars [11] and The Adventures of Pedro, A Space Rock.
The Order is an honor bestowed to individuals due to exceptional services or merits by the nation of Brazil.