Sônia Soares Costa holds a degree in Pharmacy and Biochemistry from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (Brazil), a Master's Degree in the Chemistry of Natural Products from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Université Paris XI (France). She also completed postdoctoral training in the Chemistry of Natural Products at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (Paris, France). She has experience in the chemistry of biologically active natural products. She has studied the chemical composition of aqueous plant extracts in the search for potentially therapeutic substances for leishmaniasis,viral diseases, inflammatory processes, thrombosis and diabetes through interdisciplinary projects. In these studies, a special focus is given to phenolic substances and their various pharmacological actions. She developed her academic career at the Natural Products Research Institute of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. She is currently a retired professor.