Claudia Fontana is a biologist with a bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences from the from University of Oeste de Santa Catarina (UNOESC). She earned her Ph.D. in Biology: Diversity and Wildlife Management from the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS) and a master's degree in Environmental Engineering from the Fundação Universidade Regional de Blumenau (FURB). Her expertise spans Forest Ecology, Dendrochronology, and Wood Anatomy. Currently, she is immersed in postdoctoral research at the University of São Paulo - Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz - USP/ESALQ. Her research employs a multiproxy approach in dendrochronology, applying wood anatomy techniques, X-ray microdensitometry, radiocarbon, and stable oxygen isotope 18 analysis to comprehend how variations in local and global climates impact the growth of tropical and subtropical trees. During this internship facilitated by the PAGES-IAI Programme, Cláudia Fontana aims to establish a new tree-ring chronology of Araucaria angustifolia with the following objectives: i. Assist in dating floating chronologies; ii. Determine if the growth rate is correlated with local meteorological data (temperature and precipitation). iii. Test whether variations in the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) affect the local climate and impact the growth rate of A. angustifolia. The findings from this research will be incorporated into the broader body of knowledge, collaborating with the results of other researchers. This collective effort aims to contribute to the dating of the largest trees in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil.

Constanza Márquez, born in Chile, is a geographer currently working on her PhD at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in the research line of Quaternary Paleoclimate. Her interest in climate science has led to her recent research on paleoclimatic reconstruction through Patagonian peatlands, mainly analyzing atmospheric dust. She seeks to generate more knowledge about the state of the atmosphere of the past in the context of climate change and has a strong commitment to science outreach and the positioning of women in climate and earth sciences. As a young researcher, she has had the opportunity to work with excellent academics such as Fabrice Lambert (tutor professor), François De Vleeschouwer, and Gaël Le Roux through her recent internship in France, immersed in the Climat-AMSUD A-Dust project.