Maria Aurora Soares da Silva has a degree in Chemical Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Porto and an MSc in Environmental Engineering from the University of Porto, and is currently doing her PhD at the University of Vigo. She is also a member of REQUIMTE, the largest network for chemistry and chemical engineering in Portugal. Her current research topics are natural products as a source of extracts with biological activity, with special emphasis on antimicrobial activity, antioxidant properties, and neuroprotective activity.