Mariana N. Miranda has PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering (concluded in April 2023) and an integrated Master's in Environmental Engineering (concluded in July 2016), both by the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP). Mariana joined LSRE-LCM, in October 2017, as a researcher to work on seawater desalination under the supervision of professors Fernando Pereira and Adrián Silva. Later, in 2018, she was granted a PhD scholarship by FCT to study contaminants of emerging concern, focusing on microplastics, at FEUP and LSRE-LCM. The PhD project focused on microplastics behavior (aging and their interaction with other contaminants) and attenuation in drinking water production from seawater using membrane distillation technology. This work resulted in several published papers on international peer-reviewed journals, as well as oral and poster communications during that time.

Before joining LSRE-LCM, Mariana i) was awarded a U.S. Department of State scholarship to participate in the Summer Institute for European Student Leaders 2013 at Indiana University (USA), awarded by Fulbright Portugal, ii) completed an internship at EDP Produção in 2016, and iii) worked as a researcher for 1 year on the fields of water resources protection and management and reservoir sedimentation at FEUPs Department of Civil Engineering: Hydraulics, Water Resources and Environment Division (SHRHA).

In parallel to the academic career, Mariana has participated in several volunteering projects related to scientific and environmental literacy, sustainability, and forest conservation and restauration, mainly through EpDAH and V.OU. Additionally, she was a collaborator at the university newspaper JUP (2018-2019) and later editor in charge of the editorial office of Science and Health (2019-2021).