Sara is a PhD student in Experimental Biology and Biomedicine (PDBEB) at the University of Coimbra (PT). She has a Bachelor's Degree in Biology and a Master's in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology. Her Master's thesis, entitled "Biosynthesis of Serotonin in Bacteria: an Exploratory Study" was developed at the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology of the University of Coimbra (CNC), after which she received the merit award for "Best student of the Master's Degree in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology 2020-2021" from the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Coimbra. She is first author of a review article entitled "Enzyme promiscuity in serotonin biosynthesis, from bacteria to plants and humans". The main domains of knowledge acquired throughout her academic career focus mainly on the areas of Biological Sciences, Biotechnology, Microbiome and Gut-Brain Axis. She is currently studying microbial synthesis of neuroactive metabolites and bacteriotherapeutic strategies in the context of Parkinson’s Disease, sponsored by a studentship from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT).