In 2004, she was one of the most cited Brazilian scientists.[citation needed]
In 2004, along with Luis C. Ho and H. R. Schmitt, she edited the book The Interplay among Black Holes, Stars and ISM in Galactic Nuclei, proceedings of the 222nd Symposium of the International Astronomical Union.[1]
In 2009, she joined the Brazilian Academy of Sciences.
In 2010, she edited, together with Drs. Bradley M. Peterson and Rachel S. Somerville, the book Co-evolution of Central Black Holes and Galaxies, proceedings of the 267th Symposium of the International Astronomical Union.
In 2011, she joined The World Academy of Sciences.
In 2015, she received the L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science for the Latin America region. The award cited her "outstanding work on super-massive black holes in the centers of galaxies and their associated regions of dense gas, dust, and young stars surrounding them, as well as their role in the evolution of galaxies."[2]
In 2018, she received the National Medal of Scientific Merit from the Brazilian government.[3]
In 2018, she was nominated President of the Commission X1 of the International Astronomical Union, on Supermassive Black Holes, Feedback and Galaxy Evolution.[4]