Rafaella is a PhD Candidate in the department of Water and Climate Risk at the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She holds an MSc in Water and Geological Risk Engineering from the University of Padua, Italy, and a BSc in Environmental Engineering from the Federal University of Paraíba, Brazil. Her previous work includes flood risk modelling in northeastern Brazil and studying sediment transport dynamics in the Po River, Italy.

Currently, she focuses on integrating flood forecasts into an agent-based model to simulate how different stakeholders respond to flood events. Her research aims to evaluate how short- and medium-term forecasts can help reduce flood impacts and complement long-term flood protection strategies. Rafaella’s work is part of the JCAR-ATRACE project, funded by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water, which aims to enhance cross-border cooperation on flood management and improve regional adaptation to climate extremes.

Education

2024: MSc Water and Geological Risk Engineering, University of Padua, Italy.

2021: BSc Environmental Engineering (Cum Laude), Federal University of Paraíba, Brazil.

2016: Technical Course in Environmental Management, Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Paraíba, Brazil.

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