Mafalda Luísa de Almeida Serra Patuleia has a PhD in Tourism from the Faculty of Economics of the University of Algarve. She is the Head of the Tourism Department of the Lusófona University and Dean of the Higher Institute of New Professions (INP). She is also a researcher at the CIPES, Center for Research in Politics, Economics and Society, and at the GOVCOPP, Research Unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies, with research interests in tourism and hotel management. She is an Associate Professor of ECEO, School of Economic Sciences and Organizations, at the Lusófona University.