Joana Alves is a biologist and researcher at the Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE-UC), University of Coimbra, where she founded and coordinates the BeWild Lab – Behavioural Ecology and Wildlife Conservation Lab. Her research integrates behavioural ecology, wildlife conservation, human–wildlife interactions, socio-ecological systems, climate change adaptation, biodiversity assessment and ecosystem services, with a strong territorial focus on mountainous and multifunctional landscapes, including UNESCO Biosphere Reserves. Her scientific trajectory combines ecological and behavioural mechanisms with socio-ecological and governance perspectives. She specialises in the ecology and behaviour of mammals—particularly ungulates—covering sexual segregation, habitat use, activity patterns, disturbance ecology, population monitoring and species’ responses to land-use and climate change. She has additional expertise in spatial ecology, species distribution modelling, ecological risk mapping, acoustic and camera-trap monitoring, and the integration of ecological and social datasets. Since 2017, following an FCT-funded postdoctoral fellowship developed between CFE-UC and the University of Calgary, she has supported and led research on mammal ecology, conservation and human–wildlife interactions. Her work has been recognised through participation as PI, co-PI or senior researcher in several national and international projects, including BECOME, Europe-LAND, GOOD, B-GOOD, Biosphere Reserves, MultiForest, EESE, ECOASSESS, TOPDEVIL, F4F – MyFORESt, and multiple services to public and private entities in wildlife monitoring, ecosystem services and hunting management. She is also a collaborator of the Mountain Mammal Research Group at the University of Calgary and works closely with the UNESCO Chair in Biodiversity Safeguard for Sustainable Development. Over the last five years, she has published more than 30 articles in peer-reviewed journals, alongside books chapters, technical reports, policy-relevant outputs and communications in international conferences. She has coordinated or co-authored research on mammal behaviour, global change ecology, participatory mapping, ecosystem services, Biosphere Reserve governance and socio-ecological transitions. Her work has informed wildlife management guidelines, monitoring protocols and landscape-planning tools. Joana has a strong commitment to teaching, training and mentoring, supervising 7 PhD theses and over 35 MSc dissertations, and supporting undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students across ecology, behaviour, conservation and sustainability. She regularly participates in science outreach, capacity-building activities, public engagement, training sessions for wildlife managers and technicians, and environmental-literacy initiatives. She has contributed to more than 90 oral and poster communications, served on academic juries, and acts as reviewer for several international journals. Overall, her work combines ecological mechanisms, behavioural insights, socio-ecological dynamics and community-based knowledge to support conservation, coexistence and sustainable territorial management.