Maria Madalena dos Santos Alves, has a degree in Chemical Engineering (FEUP, Oporto University, 1987), a Master in Biochemical Engineering (IST, Lisbon University, 1992) and a PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering (UMinho, 1998), where she joined in October 1988, being a full professor since September 2013. Her research activity focuses on the use of environmental biotechnology tools, in line with circular economy principles. She is the director of the Center of Biological Engineering at the University of Minho since February 2020, and is responsible for the BRIDGE Group - Bioresources, bioremediation and biorefinery at the Center for Biological Engineering, where she coordinates a multidisciplinary team with 25 researchers. She supervised or co-supervised 26 PhD students with completed exams. She is or was responsible for more than 30 funded R&D projects and is the author of 163 articles published in international magazines with full review and is the author of 2 books in a total of 430 publications. In 2007 she was the founder of a spinoff company at the University of Minho of which she was scientific director until September 2014. This company is one of the two graduated spin-offs of the University of Minho. She is regularly invited to join evaluation panels for European projects and international agencies such as the European Research Council, the Suiss National Science Foundation, the Helmoltz Association, Germany, the STW Partnership programs, the Netherlands, among others. She was an elected member of the School Council of the School of Engineering of the University of Minho, between 2012 and 2015 and between 2019 and 2020. Since february 2020 she is member of the Scientific Council of the School of Engineering, University of Minho. During the academic year 2015-16, she was on sabbatical at the J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla, California, USA. She received several awards, including the Lettinga Award 2004 funded by three prestigious dutch companies with a project selected among 60 applications worldwide. In 2005 and in 2006 she received the BES innovation in 2005, and the National Environmental Innovation Award respectively. In September 2009, she was awarded the Doctor Honoris Causa degree by the University of Iasi in Romania. In January 2016 she received the honorary title of Citizen of Merit from the Viana do Castelo City Council where she was born. In January 2021 she was nominated representative of the Portuguese State in the Council of INL by the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education.