Daniela Sofia Abreu holds a BSc in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Aveiro and an MSc in Biomedical Research from NOVA University of Lisbon. She carried out her master’s research under the supervision of Sandra H. Vaz, PhD, in the laboratory of Ana Sebastião, PhD, at the Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes (iMM-JLA), University of Lisbon, Portugal. Her work addressed the role of astrocytes in the modulation of synaptic plasticity and cognitive deficits associated with Alzheimer’s disease. During this period, she received several distinctions, including Best Oral Communication at the Portuguese Glial Network Meeting (2021), Second Best Master’s Thesis at iMM-JLA (2021), and Best Oral Communication at the Young European Scientist Meeting (2021).

She is currently a PhD student at the Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), under the supervision of João Filipe Oliveira, PhD. Her research investigates neuron–astrocyte communication in psychiatric disorders using behavioral studies, electrophysiology, calcium imaging, and molecular approaches. She is actively involved in training and mentorship, having supervised laboratory rotations and one master’s thesis.

During her PhD, Daniela has presented oral communications at national and international meetings, including at the XIX Meeting of the Portuguese Society for Neuroscience (2025, Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal), the ORPHEUS Conference (2025, Cavtat, Croatia), the International Astrocyte School (2024, Bertinoro, Italy), and the FENS Regional Meeting (2023, Algarve, Portugal).

She also contributes to the scientific community as a member of the Junior Committee of the Portuguese Neuroscience Society (since 2023), strengthening the neuroscience community in Portugal.