Olá! Welcome to my website! =)

I am Bruna, a PhD student in Political Science at Indiana University. I was born in São José dos Campos, a city in Brazil with a strong military presence that shaped my personal and academic interests. I am also a first-generation college student, and one of my priorities is sharing information about higher education with students from similar backgrounds.

My research examines organized criminal groups in Latin America and their relationships with the state and civilian populations. I focus on how criminal organizations govern territory, interact with state institutions, and shape everyday political and social life in areas where the state does not fully monopolize authority.

In particular, I study how civilians respond to and navigate these environments, including when and why they report crime, cooperate with authorities, or comply with criminal governance. My work also explores how state institutions, including security forces and courts, respond to violence and criminal control in these contexts.