Juliana is a Senior Research Fellow at The University of Queensland's Sustainable Minerals Institute. Her interdisciplinary research is dedicated to enhancing the sustainability and circularity of mineral resources supply through innovation. Juliana's current work focuses on developing sustainable, circular solutions, such as ore-sand co-production, to address the global sustainability challenges associated with sand supply and conventional mineral waste management.

With a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from Universidad del Valle in Colombia and a Master of Science and a PhD in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Juliana's academic background includes a strong emphasis on extractive metallurgy and Life Cycle Assessment approaches for sustainability in mineral resources supply.

Her work experience includes leading applied research projects in collaboration with the mining industry in South America, Europe, and Australia. During her graduate studies, Juliana worked as a part-time Research Assistant in Brazil and later as a full-time Research Assistant at Imperial College London on the Horizon 2020 IMPaCT project from 2019 to 2020. She remained affiliated with the institution as an Honorary Research Associate from 2020 to 2025.