João Pedro Rocha has a degree in Public Management for Economic and Social Development from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and a master's degree in Urban Engineering from COPPE/UFRJ. He is a Ph.D. candidate in Climate Change and Sustainable Development Policies at the University of Lisbon and USP.

João has more than 10 years of experience with Philanthropy and CSOs. For seven years worked at The Institute of Transportation and Development Policy to promote sustainable mobility and urban development policies.

From 2021-2023, João worked at the city hall as a climate advisor and content coordinator and was responsible for the first climate education law and the climate emergency declaration in Brazil, which has been replicated in different cities and states.

Nowadays, He is the Partnerships Coordinator at the Institute of Climate and Society, the biggest Brazilian climate regranter, supporting the fundraising of more than 50 Million dollars per year to strengthen climate civil society organizations in Brazil.

João is the result of a public school education, with quilombola origin, he is passionate about urban and local development with a focus on sustainability and has participated in several volunteer initiatives in his neighborhood and city. He has been part of an initiative to protect his neighborhood which resulted in the creation of an environmentally protected area throughout the whole neighborhood.

He created the grassroots movement Nossa Horta that promotes climate education and food security through community gardens, with more than 10 gardens implemented in public schools and low-income places with the Global Shapers' support. He is also part of the Climate Reality Project and the Youth Climate Leaders - YCL networks.