ML Afonso graduated in Technological Chemistry from Faculdade de Ciências, Uniiversidade de Lisboa in 1997, got an Msc in Applied Electrochemistry from the same university in 2001 and completed a PhD degree in chemistry (corrosion of metallic implants) from University of São Paulo, Brazil (USP) in 2006. During PhD work she collaborated regularly with the Orthopedic Department of the School Hospital FCMSC-SP interfacing materials electrochemistry with clinical procedures, with Villares Metals (steel industry) and with the Open University for the Third Age, USP, Brazil. Since obtaining her PhD, ML Afonso performed research in the field of the oil Industry in Brazil (2007- 2008). After returning to Portugal she was a Post-doc researcher at Instituto Tecnológico Nuclear in Solid State Group (2008-2012), working in the fields of electrodeposition of intermetallics and electrocristallization of molecular conductors where she supervised research students, PhD students and other researchers in the field of electrochemistry. She has also worked as a Postdoc Researcher at Instituto de Telecomunicações in Lisbon from March of 2013 to October 2014 (Organic Electronics group) designing, fabricating and testing electrochemical transistors. From February to june 2016 she performed research in the field of fuel cells in Materials Electrochemistry Group at Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon. From june 2016 till date she started a post-doc in FEUP in the field of fuel cells in LCM.