Valéria is originally from Praia, Cabo verde. She holds a BSc in Biology from Universidade de Aveiro (Portugal) and an MSc in Biochemistry from Universidade de Coimbra (Portugal). In her MSc, Valéria studied the interactions between phytopathogens and phytoprotectors isolated from vineyards as a potential biocontrol strategy. Currently, she is a PhD student at ITQB-NOVA and a Master in Research (MRes) student at the University of Nottingham.

In her PhD in the group of M. Margarida Oliveira, Valéria is using a holistic approach, that combine soil ionome, soil microbiome composition and plant microbiota and nutrition to increase plant performance in response to abiotic stressors (water scarcity and nutrient deficiency). Part of her PhD work is being developed at the University of Nottingham with her co-supervisors, Martin R. Broadley and Gabriel Castrillo. Currently, Valéria is trying to characterize the transcriptional regulatory components of the endodermal suberization in plants colonised by microbes.