Thayná is about to graduate from her MSc in Urbanisation and Development from The London School of Economics and Political Science and has a BSc in Sociology and Political Science from The Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio). Thayná has recently researched the intersections of race, poverty and space. Throughout her undergraduate studies she was a researcher at the National Counsel of Technological and Scientific Development (CNPQ) in the areas of Political Science and Urban Sociology.

Thayná also developed an interest in public policy and development as a trainee at the Institute of Municipal Urbanism (IPP), a public information, planning and coordination organisation of the city of Rio de Janeiro. She was part of the UPP Social programme, which is responsible for the coordination of social and urban policies in areas of Rio recently released from armed criminal territorial control through the Pacifying Police Units (UPPs). She was soon promoted to the role of Institutional Management Assistant, hired as a Consultant for the UN-HABITAT team. Thayná’s work for UN-HABITAT interfaced with several municipal public agencies responsible for actions and investments in sectors such as urban development, health, education, welfare, conservation and environmental management, focusing on providing services in favelas to reduce inequalities and work towards an equal city for all. The importance of integrated development and intersectoral policy has led Thayná to develop a great interest in researching public policy, development and democracy.

At Evidence for Development, Thayná’s work involves a combination of research and household data analysis, preparing EFD’s methods for use in Portuguese-speaking countries, and helping to build EfD’s social media presence.