Stéphanie is a postdoctoral researcher in the Nanosafety (Alfaro-Moreno) Group, where she investigates the impact of environmental chemicals on neuronal function and neurodegeneration using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as an experimental model.

She holds a degree in Applied Biology and an M.Sc. in Molecular Genetics from the University of Minho (Portugal). Stéphanie earned her PhD in Ageing and Chronic Diseases through an interuniversity doctoral program jointly offered by the University of Minho, the University of Coimbra, and NOVA University Lisbon. Her doctoral research focused on modulating serotonergic signaling as a therapeutic strategy for Machado–Joseph disease (MJD), also known as spinocerebellar ataxia type 3. During this period, she employed both C. elegans and murine models to investigate disease mechanisms and therapeutic targets. In 2023, she was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the USA National Ataxia Foundation to support her research on the effects of a multimodal antidepressant on MJD pathology in animal models.