Sandra O. Braz graduated in Biology in 2012, at the University of Porto and completed a MSc in Molecular and Cellular Biology, in 2014 at the University of Aveiro. The master's thesis was developed at the IBMC, University of Porto working on alternative polyadenylation as a gene- and cell-type specific regulatory mechanism in brain cells, with a focus on Rac1 gene expression and function in neurons, which originated two first-author publications. In 2015, she enrolled the International PhD program of the Imagine Institute, in Paris, having obtained her doctoral degree in Genetics, with specialty in Neurobiology, in 2019 by the Sorbonne University. During the PhD, building on her past experience, Sandra investigated the oligodendrocyte and myelin phenotypic and functional dysfunction, in Myotonic Dystrophy Type I, a neuromuscular disease. This work led to two first-author publications, and participation in three other research articles. The novelty of her findings was further demonstrated by the selection of her work to platform presentations in international conferences. As a junior post-doctoral researcher at the Center for Neurosciences and Cell Biology of University of Coimbra, Sandra developed stem cell-based therapies for Machado-Joseph Disease. Despite the delays caused by pandemics, part of her post-doctoral work has been published, and the manuscript reporting her main project is being prepared. Currently, Sandra is a junior researcher at the Nerve Regeneration group, at i3S-U.Porto and has recently secured a highly competitive CEEC Individual grant to cover her salary. The focus of her work shifted towards another paradigm of the CNS regeneration, the spinal cord injuries, using non-model organisms to study spinal cord regeneration. Sandra has a total of 8 published papers (4 as first author), and one first-author book section. In the last 5 years, she published in top journals of her scientific area, including Cell Reports and Nature communications. The impact and quality of her published work are recognized by her peers through more than 150 citations (Web of Science data). Sandra has been acquiring mentorship skills, having supervised 4 master students, and trained and co-supervised undergraduate students from different MSc programs. In the past year, Sandra has improved her teaching skills by participating as a lecturer in the PDBEB and PDN doctoral programs. Furthermore, she has gained management and organization skills by taking in responsibilities in BSL-2 and videomicroscopy facilities and participating in the organization of institutional events.