Gabriela Mesquita Borges holds a PhD in Criminology (2023) from the University of Porto, Portugal, and is a committed researcher specializing in the complex experiences, intersubjective narratives, and perspectives of refugee women across diverse geographical and symbolic contexts. Her research offers an in-depth analysis of the critical phases of refugee journeys — from departure in their country of origin, through displacement, to resettlement in the country of asylum — with a strong focus on gender-informed perspectives. In particular, her work scrutinizes the reception conditions and integration practices within the Portuguese asylum system, through an interdisciplinary lens bridging criminology, victimology, feminist studies, sociology, and law. Borges’s research draws from Middle Eastern, African, and European contexts, contributing to a broader global understanding of forced migration issues. In 2023, she joined the Center for Legal, Economic and Environmental Studies (CEJEA) at the University of Lusiada as a researcher, and has concurrently been collaborating with the Communication and Society Research Centre (CECS) at the University of Minho. She has an extensive publication record, including book chapters for Springer and IGI Global, and peer-reviewed articles published in leading journals such as The Journal of Qualitative Criminal Justice and Criminology, Journal of International Migration and Integration, Critical Criminology, and International Criminology. Her ongoing research explores the interconnections between refugee populations and big data technologies, examining the implications for human rights, surveillance, and social justice. Throughout her academic career, Borges has actively participated in numerous national and international scientific projects, often in collaborative and leadership roles. She has presented her research at major conferences, served as a guest speaker, and engaged in partnerships with prominent research networks, notably joining the COST Action CA16111 - International Ethnic and Migrant Minorities' Survey Data Network in 2018. Her expertise has been recognized through appointments to various academic working groups and committees. From 2018 to 2023, she played an active role in the European Society of Criminology Working Group on Qualitative Research Methodologies and Epistemologies, serving as co-chair in 2023. In line with the group's commitment to fostering leadership rotation and ensuring inclusive governance, she voluntarily stepped down from her leadership role, continuing to support the group's activities as a contributing member. Borges’s passion for education and knowledge dissemination is reflected in her teaching career. From 2020 to 2023, she lectured at the Law Department of the University of Minho, where she taught undergraduate and master’s level courses in criminology, sexual crimes, prison and correctional models, diversion and crime prevention, security and policing, sexual criminality, and qualitative research methods. In 2023, she accepted an invitation to join the University of Lusiada Norte as an Assistant Professor, where she currently teaches both undergraduate and master’s courses in criminology, including Introduction to Victimology, Current Victimology, Clinical Criminology, and Crime and Gender. Her long-term ambition is to establish herself as a leading researcher in criminology and victimology, contributing impactful scholarship that bridges academic inquiry with meaningful societal transformation.