Graduated in Biology from the Faculty of Sciences of U.Porto (1989-1994), Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from ICBAS (1996-2002), Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Porto, where she teaches in the three study programmes in Criminology. Founding member of the interdisciplinary research center - Crime, Justice, and Security of the School of Criminology at FDUP, where she coordinates the research line "Security and Criminality." She belongs to international research projects and networks (e.g., COST-"Police Stops," GERN, ISRD-IV). Her main research interests include experimental and laboratory criminology, biosocial and developmental criminology, urban security and plural policing, and the study of juvenile behaviors.

Director of the undergraduate Criminology program and president of the scientific committee of this CE. She was the director of the Ph.D. program (2011-2015) and the Master's program in Criminology (2011-2015). She has been a member of the Scientific Council of FDUP since 2013 and the Representatives Council of FDUP (2014-2017, 2023-...). She was the vice-president of the Pedagogical Council (2010-2014) of the same Faculty. She is part of the Scientific Committees of the Doctoral Program in Occupational Safety and Health at U.Porto and the Doctoral Program in Forensic Sciences at U.Porto.