Daniela Monteiro Fernandes graduated in Biochemistry by the University of Minho in 2016, with the final research training period at Life and Health Sciences Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine (EM), University of Minho. During her undergraduate training period she focused on understanding the role of Tau protein in brain structure and function, where she acquired expertise in animal manipulation and behavior, tissue fractionation and analysis techniques as well as neuronal reconstruction methods. She then enrolled a MSc in Health Sciences from the School of Medicine, University of Minho, working in close collaboration with Servier Laboratoires to evaluate the potential therapeutic effect of a novel compound in a sporadic animal model of Alzheimer’s disease. After, she worked as a research fellow in Dr Patrícia Maciel’s team, aiming to dissect the role of glial cells for Machado-Joseph disease onset and progression. After completing this fellowship, she enrolled in a PhD program funded by FCT, focusing on the behavioral, neuropathological, and neuronal circuit characterization of a mouse model of Rett Syndrome, while evaluating the potential disease modifying effects of a novel candidate therapeutic compound for this disease. Her work to date resulted in 2 scientific articles, 10 posters, 3 oral communications as first author in international scientific meetings and co-authorship in several works.