Paula ML Castro is Full Professor (Professor Catedrático) at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia (ESB-UCP), Porto, Portugal; she is since 2013 member of the Direction Board of ESB-UCP. She obtained a degree in Food Engineering from ESB-UCP in 1989, and holds a PhD degree in Biochemical Engineering from University College London, 1994. After her PhD she worked in a UK biotech company for two years in environmental biotechnology related processes, line she has continued at ESB-UCP. She co-authored more than 210 papers in international journals and was involved in the supervision of 20 concluded PhD theses, currently supervising 6. Her scientific activity focuses on developing bioprocesses targeted at environmental protection and restoration and sustainability. One of the major themes has been the degradation of organic pollutants, including fluorinated compounds and micropollutants, combined with the development of bioprocesses for wastewater treatment, such as aerobic granular sludge, and with the production of bio-based products. The synergy between microorganisms and plants is exploited in soil recovery approaches, including phytomanagement and microbial assisted crop production in forestry and agriculture. Nature based solutions for water and wastewater are materialized through the development of green roofs and constructed wetlands at full scale.