I hold a BSc in Marine Biology and Biotechnology and a specialized technology course in Aquaculture and Fisheries, both done at the School of Tourism and Marine Technology of the Polytechnic of Leiria. I also have recreational diving formation, working as a dive instructor for several years after finishing my BSc. Diving was the reason why I moved to the Azores, where I completed a Master's degree in Integrated Studies of the Oceans at the University of the Azores. I joined the Azores Deep-sea Research group to develop my master’s thesis, which focused on better understanding the role played by cold-water coral species as habitat providers for invertebrate associated fauna. My work, framed within the DeepWalls project, was centered around the identification and annotation of benthic species from underwater video images and from physical specimens collected as by-catch from the long-line fleet.

After finishing my thesis, I continued working in the group as a research assistant, collaborating in several tasks related to the study of the deep sea, including equipment preparation, participation in the surveys at sea to collect images of the deep seabed and the processing and annotation of underwater video images.