Maria José Azevedo Santos is a Retired Full Professor at Faculty of Arts and Humanities - University of Coimbra and Researcher at Centre for the History of Society and Culture. She was the first women to occupy the position of Director of the Archive of the University of Coimbra (2003-2011), where she has encouraged historical research, by creating the The art of reading, international award and taking an active role in the digitisation and preservation of thousands of notarial and parish registers (15th-20th centuries). Member of the International Committee of Latin Palaeography since 1993 and of the Portuguese Academy of History since 2003, among other acclaimed scientific associations and research networks. Her doctoral thesis was truly pioneer in our country, making it the very first one defended at the UC and then edited by Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, focusing on Latin and Portuguese palaeography and diplomatic (advisors: Avelino de Jesus da Costa and Manuel C. Díaz y Díaz). Afterwards, she published several books and articles on the same topic, generating visibility and interest inside and outside Portugal. She was also involved in three master courses that are part of the Master Tipography: discipline and practises as a visiting scholar at the renowned Facultad of Belles Arts of the University of Barcelona, 2009-2011. She additionally worked with the also highly prestigious Autonomous University of Barcelona, where she belongs to the "Consejo, asesoramiento y colaboracíon" and teaching tasks of the Seminari de Paleografia, Codicologia i Diplomatica. In 2018, she lectured a seminar at King's College, Bush House, London, about writing in the time of Luís de Camões. Lectured over 300 conferences, seminars and brief courses of Medieval Latin and Portuguese palaeography and diplomatic in many European countries (Spain - Barcelona, León, Salamanca, Santiago de Compostela, Belgium - Catholique University of Louvain-la-Neuve, KRB Brussels, Italy, Vatican, France - Laboratoire de Médiévistique Occidentale de Paris, Paris, Cluny, Lyon, Czech Republic - Czech Academy of Sciences, Germany - Weingarten, Austria - Vienna) as well as Brazil (Rio de Janeiro - National Archive of Rio de Janeiro, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and the Brazilian Historical and Geographic Institute, and Belém do Pará, where she was three times as a visiting scholar lecturing small courses and conferences regarding Modern History and Palaeography at the universities, State Public Archive, Art Institute, Portuguese Literary Guild, Museum Paraense Emílio Goeldi) and Sao Tome and Principe. More recently, she was involved in the creation of the Master's Degree in History of "Food, Sources, Culture and Society" at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the UC. She has also worked with researchers from different areas, such as archaeology, literature or even architecture. Throughout her career, she has also supervised many dissertations and PhD thesis. In 2019, was nominated for the "Best Professor" award at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Coimbra, which attests her remarkable pedagogical values. Since 2014, she is the national representative at the International Committee of the Experts on the Way of St. James. In 2017, she received the title of Honorary Professor of the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, conferred by the Palaeography and Diplomatic Centre. The same year, she was named corresponding member of the of the Technical Chamber of Palaeography and Diplomatic of the National Council of Archives of Brazil. In 2019, has been named co-director of the "Camiño de Santiago y de Pilgrimages" Chair at the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Maria José has published in and/or is a member of the editorial board of several academic journals. Member of the Scientific Committee of the University of Coimbra's Application for World Heritage status - 2005-2012.