Position Title
Teaching Assistant
1050 Blue Ridge Rd, Davis CA 95616
About
I’m a Ph.D. candidate in Sociocultural Anthropology at the University of California, Davis. My research explores human–animal relationships, focusing on affect, communication, and behavioral change. I’m particularly interested in the techniques developed by Cesar Millan and how his approach to animal rehabilitation circulates globally as a form of emotional and ethical training for humans.
At the moment, I’m conducting fieldwork in different sites across California, including the Dog Psychology Center in Santa Clarita, the Marine Mammal in SF, and the Yolo County Animal Service Shelter where I study practices of rehabilitation, care, and interspecies communication. My broader research interests include animal ethics, multispecies ethnography, media, and the emotional ecologies that connect humans and other species.
- B.S. in Law at Gama Filho University - Brazil, RJ
- Specialized in Public Law: Constitutional, Administrative and Tax at Estácio de Sá University - Brazil, RJ.
- M.S. in Legal and Political Science at Portucalense Infante D. Henrique University, Portugal.
- Ph.D. Candidate in Anthropology at University of California, Davis
- Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award 2023-2024
- People’s Choice Award – Grad Slam UC Davis (2025)
- Dean’s Summer Graduate Support Award 2025
- Moraes, M. (2024). Travelling together: Exploring the impact of support and service animals on travel experiences. Research in Hospitality Management, 14(1), 12-25. https://doi.org/10.1080/22243534.2024.2395709
- Moraes, M.M. “The Sentience and Animal Law” (In Portuguese) Revista Científica FESA Tendências Multidisciplinares: Investigação, Método e Ciência, ISSN: 2676-0428, v.1, n.4 – 2021, pp. 03-19.
- Moraes, M.M. “A Victory in The Animal Cause: Law number 1.095/2019” (In Portuguese) Revista Científica Multifaces do Conhecimento Científico: Teoria e Prática, ISSN: 2676-0428, 2021, v.1, n.6 – 2021, pp. 03-13.
- Moraes, M.M. “Vaquejada (bullfighting), Animal Protection and Rural Profit” (In Portuguese) Revista Científica Multifaces do Conhecimento Científico: Teoria e Prática, ISSN: 2676-0428, V.1, n.8 – 2021, pp. 03-16.
- Moraes, M.M. “Animal Rights and Legal Status” Revista Multidiciplinar Núcleo do Conhecimento, ISSN. 2448- 0959, Ano 06, Ed.10, Vol. 07, pp. 100-125.