M.J. Sampaio holds a PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering from the University of Porto (2016), awarded with the European Doctorate distinction. She also obtained the Doctoral Diploma in Advanced Oxidation Processes (IPS-AOP). Her doctoral research included extended international research periods at the Engineering Research Center, University of Cincinnati (USA), and at the Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, University of Toulouse (France).

Currently, she is Assistant Researcher at LSRE-LCM, integrated in the Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering (ALiCE). Her research lies at the interface of catalysis, environmental engineering, and sustainable energy technologies, with a focus on heterogeneous photocatalysis and light-driven processes. She develops advanced catalytic materials, including carbon-based systems, metal oxides and hydroxides, noble metal composites, and magnetic nanostructures, targeting water treatment, removal of emerging contaminants, and solar-driven production of energy carriers such as hydrogen and hydrogen peroxide. Her work bridges materials design with process engineering and device integration.

She has co-authored more than 150 publications, including 68 papers in JCR-indexed journals (h-index 30, Scopus), and over 90 contributions to national and international conferences. Her research is published in leading journals in catalysis and environmental engineering. She has participated in more than 15 research projects and has acted as Principal Investigator of MicroPhotOGen (PTDC/NAN-MAT/30674/2017), focused on microfluidic photoelectrochemical devices. She currently serves as Principal Investigator of LIGHT2H2O (COMPETE2030-FEDER-0077880) and as Coordinator of the international consortium AQUAEra (Water4All/0001/2024), involving NTNU (Norway), CSIC (Spain), KU Leuven (Belgium), and NRC (Lithuania). These projects advance light-driven catalytic technologies for water treatment and hydrogen production.

She serves as Editor of Applied Catalysis O: Open and as member of the Early Career Editorial Board of Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, and of Separation and Purification Technology. She regularly acts as reviewer for high-impact journals and funding agencies and participates in MSc and PhD examination committees. She has been a member of the Scientific Council of FEUP since 2023 and of the Department Council since 2024.

She has supervised and co-supervised MSc and PhD students, including international researchers, and contributes to teaching activities in both Bachelor’s and Master’s-level Chemical Engineering programmes at FEUP, including Materials Science and Engineering, Chemistry, and Project in Chemical Engineering. Her commitment to pedagogical innovation has been acknowledged by the University of Porto Pedagogical Excellence Programme, which recognised her contributions to Active Learning.