Vera was awarded an FCT PhD studentship in 2024 and is currently a team member of Espiña's Water Quality group, where she is carrying out most of her PhD work plan, titled "Natural Materials for Photocatalysis: Integrating Nature and Technology for Sustainable Environmental Solutions". Her project focuses on the use of diatom (microalgae) biosilica as a novel material for photocatalytic applications. 

Vera has a background in Marine Biology and Microalgal Physiology. She holds a BSc in Aquatic Sciences from the University of Porto (2016) and an MSc in Marine Biology from the University of Aveiro (2022), where she studied the photophysiology of cyanobacterial strains and was trained in the estimation of photosynthesis activities and growth efficiencies of microalgae, including pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) chlorophyll fluorometry and pigment quantification. After graduation, she was hired under the NASCADIA project (PTDC/BTA-BTA/2061/2021), a joint project at UA and the INL. She was responsible for the cultivation, purification, characterisation, and functionalization of diatom biosilica.