Ana was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she obtained her undergraduate Biology degree and a Master’s degree in Zoology from Museu Nacional. She has a Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology from The University of Chicago, being advised by John Bates at The Field Museum. Before coming to CUNY, Ana was an NSF-funded postdoctoral fellow in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at UC Berkeley, working with Craig Moritz.