Sónia R. Q. Serra holds a degree in Biology (2004), a Master’s in Ecology (2009) and a PhD in Biosciences (Catchment Ecology, 2017). She is a researcher at the University of Coimbra, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Department of Life Sciences, affiliated with MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre / ARNET – Aquatic Research Network (Associated Laboratory). Her research focuses on the assessment of stream and river ecological integrity, combining classical biomonitoring with advanced quantitative and statistical approaches developed entirely in the R software environment. She has extensive experience applying univariate and multivariate analyses, trait-based frameworks (including Chironomidae traits), and integrative statistical workflows to biological, environmental and pressure-related datasets. Her work has progressively evolved towards the development and application of predictive and integrative modelling approaches in R, designed to handle complex, heterogeneous and socio-ecological data, linking ecological indicators with land use, urban context, environmental pressures and human-related variables. These approaches have been applied in national monitoring and consultancy projects (e.g. LABELEC-EDP, Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente, EDIA) and in European research projects. She is the author of a national guide for macroinvertebrate identification and has participated in several national and European projects, with strong involvement in scientific communication, dissemination and citizen science initiatives. More recently, her research has focused on urban streams, assessing ecosystem services and exploring the role of blue and green urban spaces in promoting health, wellbeing and active ageing. In parallel, she has contributed to the development of technological and participatory tools, supported by data-driven analyses, to reconnect citizens with natural environments and support evidence-based decision-making for smarter and healthier cities. She is currently a full-time contracted researcher within the OneAquaHealth project, co-organising focus groups, citizen science actions and science–society engagement activities. Her current research perspective frames environmental problems as inherently socio-ecological challenges, advocating integrated and reproducible methodological approaches—grounded in R-based statistical modelling—to support systemic and planetary-scale understanding.