Professor at Iscte – University Institute of Lisbon, School of Applied Technologies (Iscte-Sintra), where she also serves as Head of the Department of Social and Business Sciences. She is a senior researcher at ISTAR – Information Sciences, Technologies and Architecture Research Centre. She holds a PhD in Statistics/Psychometrics, as well as a Master's and a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics. Her research interests include Statistics of Education, Educational Assessment, Applied Statistics, Comparative Education, Data Analysis, and Psychometrics. Her research focuses primarily on the statistical analysis of international large-scale assessment databases, including PISA, PIAAC, PIRLS, ICCS, TIMSS, TALIS, and ESLC, as well as the development and validation of assessment instruments and surveys, such as SELFIE for Schools, CheckIn, and EntreSAT4Youth. She has extensive experience in educational research and evidence-based policymaking, having worked for nine years at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), where she conducted research and provided scientific and technical support to policymakers. She has authored and co-authored numerous scientific articles published in international journals, book chapters, and technical reports.