Maria da Conceição Paiva has a Ph.D. in Science and Engineering of Polymers and Composites from the University of Minho and a Licenciatura in Chemistry from the Faculty of Science of the University of Porto. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Minho and, between 2000 and 2003, was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Clemson University, Center for Engineering Fibers and Films, SC, USA. She develops research in the areas of (i) modification of nanoparticle surfaces and interfaces for the preparation of functional polymer matrix composites, (ii) development of low-cost carbon fibers, and iii) plastics and the environment, from the perspective of recycling and environmental characterization of plastic waste. She is a Fellow of the Leibniz Institute for Polymer Research, Dresden, Germany, and has collaborated with the University of Manchester, School of Materials, United Kingdom, and with the École Nationale d'Ingenieurs in Tunis, Tunisia.