Sofia Serra is a principal investigator at Institute of Ethnomusicology - Center of Studies in Music and Dance (INET-MD) from the University of Aveiro, with research interests on Music Psychology (Performance Anxiety), Music Education (Teacher-Student Relationship, Adult Attachment) and Voice.

Sofia Serra leads a multi annual competitive research project, financed by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and European funds, with the Project "Music Performance Anxiety in Adolescents (MUS-A)". This team of researchers has an interdisciplinary profile with a vibrant mix of professionals at various levels, namely senior and junior researchers, with different backgrounds (Psychology, Music, and Neurosciences) and have already built a strong track record in terms of design and implementation of scientific activities together, having an extensive set of links to academic research as well as to interact with society, having strong bonds with national and international networks. MUS-A Project addresses the psychological and performative characterization of music students, as well as an extensive therapeutical intervention, to the students with high levels of performance anxiety, using Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Neurofeedback based on Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS-NFb), and the validation of its effects on the participants’ musical performance.
Sofia Serra is also developing research on the fields of voice improvisation and its therapeutic effects.

Sofia Serra owns a PhD from the University of Sheffield (UK) in music psychology, and two master’s degrees from the University of Sheffield and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London). She obtained a singing performative degree from Escola Superior de Música e Artes do Espectáculo (ESMAE) in Porto.

Between 2001 and 2023 Sofia Serra was an assistant professor at School of Arts from Portuguese Catholic University where she taught Voice, Psychology of Music and Music Pedagogy. She was the coordinator of the master’s degree in music education between 2013 and 2023. She also taught and coordinated of the post-graduation in Sacred Music and the advanced, continuous and specialized training. She was also an integrated researcher at the Center for Research in Science and Technology of the Arts (CITAR) from Catholic University.
Sofia Serra supervised over 40 Master students and 4 PhD students at Portuguese Catholic University and University of Saint Joseph in Macau. She has taught at the Lisbon Superior School of Music (2015-2017) and collaborates with University of Saint Joseph in Macau since 2013.

Sofia Serra won the 2nd Tracy Chadwell prize, in London, and the 2nd prize “Jovens Empreendedores XXI” in a cultural Opera/architecture project in Santa Maria da Feira.

She played main soprano roles in Opera, Oratory and Lied, performed at several national and international festivals in live broadcast (including BBC radio 3) and recordings.