Vanessa Gonçalves is a PhD candidate in Civil Engineering at the University of Beira Interior (UBI), Portugal. Her doctoral research, entitled Influence of Cemeteries on Groundwater Quality: A Geoenvironmental Modelling Approach, focuses on the geoenvironmental assessment of cemetery areas, groundwater vulnerability, hydrogeotechnical characterisation, contaminant migration and geospatial modelling. She holds a postgraduate specialisation in Hydrology and Climatology, a Master’s degree in Geographic Information Systems focused on water resources protection and groundwater vulnerability, and a degree in Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering. Since 2021, she has collaborated with the GeoBioTec-UBI research unit, developing research in geoenvironmental engineering, hydrogeology, groundwater vulnerability and applied geosciences. Her scientific activity has focused particularly on cemetery-related environmental impacts. In this field, she has published two articles in international journals, developed her Master’s thesis, presented related work at an international conference, and maintained scientific collaborations with colleagues and researchers in related areas. She is currently preparing further publications, including a review article on cemetery-related contamination and sustainable management, a research article on the preliminary geoenvironmental and hydrogeotechnical results from the Tortosendo Cemetery case study, and an exploratory article on the application of GIS to geothermal potential assessment. She has also contributed to teaching activities in GIS-related modules at UBI since 2022. Professionally, she is a Senior Technician at the Guarda Municipality, working in the Geographic Information Systems and Cartography section, where she supports environmental management, spatial analysis, groundwater-related studies and the preservation of natural heritage.