María José Ruá is a PhD in Agricultural Engineering and a Technical Architect. Since 2007, she has been a Professor at the Universitat Jaume I (UJI) in the Degree in Technical Architecture, Master's Degree in Energy Efficiency and Sustainability and Master's Degree in Gender Equality. She also participates in the Master's Degree in Real Estate Sciences, the Master's Degree in Appraisal and Valuation Engineering and the University Extension Diploma in Real Estate Studies at the UPV. She belongs to the research group Technology, Quality and Sustainability in Building (TECASOS) of the UJI. She has developed a line of research focused on the energy efficiency of buildings in the context of integrated urban regeneration. In addition, she has published in diverse international scientific journals and presented at different conferences on this topic. She is also part of the Social Innovation and Human Development/IIDL (Social Innova) group, working in collaboration with experts in the field of psychology to address the needs of vulnerable people in the urban environment, with scientific publications and work in these areas. She is part of the Inter-University Institute of Local Development (IIDL) at the UJI. Prior to her work at the Universitat Jaume I, she worked in an architecture studio as well as for different valuation companies as a freelance professional. From 2004 to 2007, she also worked as an Associate Lecturer at the UPV, combining this work with her professional work.