When Jair Bolsonaro began his presidency of Brazil in January he quickly began making good on his campaign promises to rollback protections of the Amazon rainforest and indigenous rights and prioritize expansion of agriculture and business interests, setting off alarm bells among conservationists. And more recently he has been pushing deep cuts in scientific research programs.

Still, no one expected he would have such a dramatic impact on the career of 25-year-old scientist Alessandra Camelo.

"All I have ever wanted to be is a scientist," says Camelo.

After earning her undergraduate degree in agricultural and environmental engineering, she placed into the master's program for energy at one of Brazil's top research universities, the University of São Paulo. Since then, she