Ana Catarina Silva completed her degree in Biology in 2017. During her degree, she had the opportunity to join her first oceanographic expedition as part of the EMEPC for the Extension of the Continental Shelf, where she participated in the taxonomic identification of marine organisms. During her degree, she also took specialised courses in Aquaculture and Aquaponics, where she acquired experience in the techniques of sustainable food production. Given her interest in taxonomy, Catarina took part in a project to catalogue the 31,000 mollusc specimens belonging to the museological collection of the first woman to graduate in biology in Portugal, Dr. Rolanda Albuquerque Matos. Given her enthusiasm for marine life, Catarina completed her master’s degree in Marine Ecology in 2020. She completed her thesis at IPMA. This work led to the scientific publication "Microplastic distribution in different tissues of small pelagic fish of the Northeast Atlantic Ocean". Catarina also attended an FTIR microscopy course, where she acquired the principles of instrumentation and techniques for analysing microplastics. She was also a speaker at the 2nd Portuguese Conference on Marine Litter and Microplastics, where she gave her first oral presentation. Before completing her Masters, Catarina began a professional internship at the Lisbon Oceanarium, where she improved her knowledge of maintaining marine organisms and monitoring water quality. After completing her master's degree, Catarina won her first FCT research grant (PLASTISPHERE: Composition and dynamics of microplastic associated biota on the coast of Israel and Portugal). In this fellowship, she had the opportunity to work with Dr. Paula Sobral, a pioneer in microplastic research in Portugal. Catarina furthered her research into microplastics and DNA extraction techniques and FTIR analyses. She had the opportunity to join several oceanographic expeditions to collect microplastics in waters and sediments in collaboration with the Hydrographic Institute of the Portuguese Navy. She also took part in preparing and supporting practical classes in Animal Biology at NOVA University, collaborating in the maintenance of aquariums and demonstrations of marine organisms to students. Catarina collaborated in volunteer activities for the Portuguese Marine Litter Association (APLM), cleaning beaches and raising awareness and environmental education about marine litter. This grant led to her second scientific publication: "The geographical and seasonal effects on the composition of marine microplastic and its microbial communities: The case study of Israel and Portugal". This work enabled her to present two posters at: the 7th International Conference on Marine Debris (7IMDC) in Busan, South Korea and in the 16th International Conference LITTORAL 22, Caparica, Portugal. Currently, she is a research fellow at SOVENA - Consumer Goods on a PRR project: NEWPACK - A New Generation of Packaging Materials, which aims to create sustainable packaging that is not harmful to fish if accidentally disposed into the ocean. On this scholarship, she had the opportunity to carry out in vivo trials in fish, maintain aquarium systems and organisms. She also acquired new histopathology techniques for Sparus aurata. Catarina has also completed the CAL-AQUA course, Laboratory Aquatic Animal Science Course and is certified by DGAV for categories a), c) and d) and under the European Union guidelines on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. Catarina is passionate about marine ecosystems, focusing particularly on ocean conservation and environmental issues such as marine litter and microplastic pollution, which has led her to pursue a career in research, allowing her to contribute through a multidisciplinary approach to creating solutions to these issues.