As a child, Renata Hanae Nagai’s mother used to take her to the laboratory where she worked. That began her interest in science, which became a real passion when Nagai included the ocean in the equation. An oceanographer by training, she was one of the first oceanography students at the University of São Paulo. The institution was also home to her master’s and doctoral studies. Her postdoctoral studies took place at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University in the United States. Her project attempts to understand the past of the Southwest Atlantic Ocean to measure human actions in climate change.

Torn between the hustle and bustle of the city and the serenity of the countryside, Nagai found balance ever since she moved to the small town of Pontal do Paraná to teach at the Federal University of Paraná. Outside the classroom, there is always time to see the sea or bury her feet in the sand. At home, she shares her space and routine with her husband, a cat, and a bull terrier.