Sandra Hilário has a degree in Agricultural Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, a master’s degree in Microbiology and a PhD in Biology (specialization in Microbiology) from the University of Aveiro. She is currently a PhD Researcher at GreenUPorto. Her main research areas are related to microbial diversity, plant pathogens (particularly fungi), molecular and phylogenetic evolution, plant ecophysiology, bioinformatics, genomics, and microorganisms as agents of biocontrol and plant growth promotion. Recently, she was awarded an honorable mention by the Portuguese Society of Microbiology and an “Early Career Scientist” scholarship offered by the European Federation of Microbiology Societies (FEMS).