Viviane Menezes
Viviane Menezes was an unlikely kid to become a scientist. She grew up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, surrounded by beaches, but the sea for her was just part of the landscape. Science was not part of her childhood, and when she was very young, she (mistakenly) concluded that scientists were geniuses from far away. Her parents and grandparents didn’t attend college. When she applied for college and had to select a career, she was so hesitant that her father chose for her. He selected “anything.” This anything turned out to be oceanography, though she had no clue what that was. Against all these odds, she has become an observational oceanographer. She enjoys being at sea and is a fanatic reader. Before moving to Woods Hole, she lived for four years in Tasmania, Australia, where she earned her Ph.D. in marine sciences.
