Elsa Silva is an Assistant Professor in the Production and Systems Department at the University of Minho, where she earned her PhD in Industrial and Systems Engineering in 2012. She is a researcher at the ALGORITMI Research Centre/Associated Laboratory of Intelligent Systems and coordinates the Systems Engineering and Operational Research (SEOR) group. Her primary research focuses on Operations Research and Management Science, particularly solving complex large-scale combinatorial optimization problems. Elsa Silva has made pioneering contributions to Cutting and Packing Problems, developing innovative algorithms that combine mathematical models with heuristics to solve previously unaddressed practical applications. Her research excellence is evidenced by over 30 peer-reviewed publications, including a finalist paper for the 2015 INFORMS Daniel H. Wagner Prize for Excellence in Operations Research Practice. Another of her works was runner-up for the 2019 Best Paper Prize in International Transactions in Operational Research (ITOR) and was selected as one of the 30 most influential papers in ITOR's history. Her academic leadership is demonstrated through extensive mentoring experience, including supervision of one post-doctoral researcher, two PhD theses, and more than ten MSc dissertations. She has also served on examination boards for six PhD defenses (three international) and 51 master's degrees (two international). In recognition of her teaching excellence, she received the Diploma of Recognition of Pedagogical Merit from the University of Minho's School of Engineering in 2021. Elsa Silva has significantly contributed to the research community through various roles, including organizing international conferences, serving on the EURO/ROADEF challenge 2018 scientific committee, and acting as an editorial board member for the Portuguese Association for Operational Research bulletin. She has authored over 50 peer reviews for international journals and secured competitive funding, including FCT fellowships for PhD and post-doctoral research. Her research leadership is further demonstrated through her involvement in 19 R&D projects, including leading nine as Principal Investigator. Of these, five secured international funding, and she has successfully coordinated or collaborated on 13 R&D projects in Business Management and Computer Science. These projects showcase her ability to bridge theoretical research with practical applications in various fields.