I grew up in Minas Gerais, Brazil, and as a young adult I moved to the US in order to pursue my higher education. I received my PhD in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University, and am currently an Assistant Professor in Government at Bowdoin College. My research and teaching interests span topics in development, political ecology, migration, humanitarianism and queer studies. My work focuses generally on Latin America and the Global South (broadly construed).

My book project, based on my dissertation research, examines the construction of the Belo Monte dam in the Brazilian Amazon to explore (1) how development continues to reflect a modern worldview that is in part responsible for the current ecological crisis, and (2) what compelling possibilities are offered by the alternative ways of living that development disavows.

The research, teaching and CV sections of this website are temporarily under construction. Please contact me at tzille (at) bowdoin (dot) edu if you are interested in learning more.

(Banner photo: Xingu River, Altamira, Brazil. Photo by the author)