Ana Rita Mateus is a PhD student in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, Portugal. Her research is carried out at INIAV, IP - National Institute for Agrarian and Veterinary Research, Vairão, Porto, Portugal. She holds a Master’s degree in Food Safety and a Bachelor’s in Bioanalytical Sciences. Her research focuses on the valorization of agri-food by-products, with an emphasis on the recovery of bioactive compounds such as phenolics, and the assessment of contaminants, including pesticide residues, mycotoxins, and tropane alkaloids, in food waste and other matrices. She is the first author of the highly cited review “By-products of dates, cherries, plums and artichokes: A source of valuable bioactive compounds” (Trends in Food Science & Technology, 2023), with over 50 citations.Her academic interests lie in sustainable food systems, food safety, circular economy, and bioactive compound extraction.