Mele is the Head of Communications at the Institute of Baltic Studies. Previously, from 2022–2024, she worked as an analyst at IBS contributing to research on education, youth, integration, and environmental issues.
Mele worked as a journalist for the Areen cultural supplement of Eesti Ekspress for many years, as a columnist at Sirp and as a freelance journalist in Estonia and Berlin. She is an expert in Latin American culture and politics, but is also interested in culture, politics, education, and communication. Mele has taught political science, international relations, and Latin American cultural history at TalTech, Tallinn University, and Saaremaa Gymnasium. She studied journalism at the University of Tartu, pursued further studies in Lisbon and São Paulo, and earned a PhD in cultural studies from Tallinn University, where her dissertation examined a Brazilian cultural model.
In addition to her work at IBS, Mele enjoys traveling and occasionally leads guided tours exploring the Portuguese-speaking world. She also loves literature, films, theater, and chess.