Alessandra Fidelis is biologist, Associate Professor in the Department of Biodiversity at the Universidade Estadual Paulista, Brazil. Her research focus on tropical grassland and savanna ecology, fire ecology, community ecology, biological invasion, and seed ecology. She coordinates a long-term fire experiment (since 2013) in open savannas of Central Brazil and has already coordinated several research projects related to fire effects on tropical grasslands and savannas. She is the vice-president of the International Association for Vegetation Science and editor of the Journal of Vegetation Science. She was recognized as one of world’s leading women in fire science in 2018 and is very active on the conservation of open ecosystems.
Vânia R. Pivello is biologist, Full Professor in the Department of Ecology at the Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Brazil. She has vast experience in teaching and research in plant ecology, conservation biology, savanna ecology, fire ecology, biological invasion. She has conducted and coordinated several scientific research projects at LEPaC/USP (Landscape Ecology and Conservation Laboratory/USP) and has provided consulting and technical support to governmental, non-governmental and private organizations on environmental issues. She is an expert advisor to several research funding agencies and scientific journals, and editor of the journal Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation. In 2018 she was recognized as one of the worlds’ “women leaders in fire science”.