Ana Marques’ research career began during her BSc in 2000 at DTU, where she worked on biofilm applications. After completing her BSc, she worked in Environment. Qual. Manag. Consultancy (2001-2002), which strengthened her connection with industry: providing training to various industrial sectors and facilitating the implementation of control systems aligned with ISO standards. She was then awarded a FCT grant to pursue her PhD in Biotechnology, that she started in 2002 at UCP and completed in 2007. She subsequently secured a post-doctoral grant at CBQF, where she continued her research in soil biological treatments until 2013.This period furthered her expertise in the use of plant-based systems and honed her essential skills in experimental design, soil and plant bio and chemical analysis, microbiology and molecular biology, field work and sampling, statistical assessment, etc. During this time she also performed studies using sequential-batch reactors for heavy metal contaminated waters’ treatment, that gave her relevant knowledge on the functioning of these type of reactors. Ana was also a team member in several funded projects related to the area, the most significant ones being PTDC/AGR-GPL/102861/2008 (Improved productivity and iron nutrition in legume grains), POCI/AMB/60131/2004 (The role of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Phytoremediation of Heavy Metal contaminated soils) POCI/AMB/60126/2004 (Constructed wetlands for industrial wastewater treatment), and FCT/5909/24/52013/S Transnational Cooperation Portugal-Morocco (Microbial and ecotoxicological characterization of soils and tailings from mining sites in South Morocco: phytoremediation assisted by microorganisms). In 2010, she participated in the CoHiTec by COTEC program, where she developed a business plan for her research project. This experience enhanced her ability to translate scientific knowledge into viable business solutions, leading her team to win the BES Innovation Prize. From 2013-2014, she was the PI of project EXPL/AGR-PRO/0521/2013, expanding her skills in team and project management, as well as bolstering her laboratory expertise. During this period she investigated the effects of bioinocula on plant growth under saline conditions. Afterwards she embarked in a 2nd post-doctoral position at LEBAPE (2015-2018), exploring chemical processes for organic matter degradation for energy. In 2018, she was PI of a project focused on the valorization of biomass from phytoremediation for energy production (PTDC/BTA-BTA/28761/2017). She is currently a Junior Researcher at CBQF, integrated in the Environmental Biotechnology and Resources group. In addition to research, she has taught in the field of Environment since 2007. As a committed mentor, she also supervised and guided numerous students, encouraging innovation and scientific communication. She serves as an Editor for journal Agriculture, reviews for various journals and participated in scientific committees for multiple conferences. She has organized scientific and outreach events to promote environmental awareness and sustainability. As a testament to her work in the field she has been invited by her peers to share her findings with the broader scientific community, having the opportunity to share the scope and outcomes of her research at prestigious scientific forums. She is a well-rounded researcher which brings a comprehensive understanding of environmental sustainability, bridging scientific research with real-world applications. The importance and quality of her work has also been recognized by the international scientific and entrepreneurial community as reflected in the following indicators: cited 1970 times with an h-index of 21.