Sandra Paiva was born in Porto in October 1973.
She is an Assistant Professor with Habilitation, in the Department of Biology (DB), and an integrated member of the Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA), at the School of Sciences of the University of Minho (UM).
She graduated in Biochemistry from the University of Porto and received a Master's degree in Molecular Genetics and a Ph.D. in Sciences from ECUM. During her PhD, she was a visiting graduate student at the Jacques Monod Institute and at the École Normale Supérieure (Paris), University of Madrid and University of Amsterdam. Most recently, she was a Visiting Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, with Fulbright and FLAD Awards.
She concluded her habilitation in May 2021, at the University of Minho.
She conducts research in the areas of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology at the CBMA, supervising dozens of MSc and PhD students. She is a co-author of several indexed scientific publications, including in reference journals such as the "Journal of Cell Biology", having coordinated or participated in numerous research projects. She annually organizes an international advanced course for graduate students and she is part of an International Training Network -ITN.
She develops her teaching activity in the areas of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Trafficking and Cell Signaling.
She was Vice President of the School of Sciences, Director of the Degree in Applied Biology, Director of the Master's Degree in Applied Biochemistry, Director for the Society of CBMA, elected member of the Board of Directors of the DB and of the Scientific Council of ECUM.
She was an elected member of the General Council of UMinho from 2017 to 2021. She was a member of the Commission for the creation of the Master's in Science Communication and received the Annual American Club Award in 2001. She coordinated several society interaction activities, such as the Science Festival, European Researchers' Night, iSci-Interface Science.
She is a member of the General Council of the Carlos Amarante Schools Group, in Braga, and was part of the Board of Directors of TecMinho and of the Casas do Conhecimento at UMinho.
