With a PhD in Chemical Engineering by the University of Porto, she was a Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto for 15 years. She worked, for 30 years, at the Directorate General for Research of the European Commission (DG RTD), where she was the Director of Research Programmes on Environment and Transport. Senior specialist in EU Affairs of Research and Innovation matters, with an extensive network of contacts with European Associations and stakeholders in the field of transport and environment.