Sofia Augusto is a researcher with a robust academic and professional background in biology, environmental science, and public health. After earning a degree in Applied Plant Biology (2001) from the Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, and a second degree in Food Safety and Technology (2007) from the New University of Lisbon, Sofia Augusto completed a PhD in Biology (2012) at the Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon. Their doctoral work laid the foundation for a dynamic research career at the intersection of human health and environmental sciences.

Post-PhD, Sofia Augusto was awarded a prestigious Inter-European Marie Curie Fellowship for Career Development by the European Commission. This two-year project, based at Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain, focused on Environmental Chemistry, advancing knowledge of how anthropogenic activities impact air quality and ecosystems.

In 2016, Sofia Augusto shifted to Public Health research with a six-year postdoctoral fellowship funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) at the Epidemiology Research Unit of Institute of Public Health of University of Porto (EPIUnit-ISPUP). This move expanded their expertise to include the health implications of environmental changes, both human-induced and natural.

Sofia Augusto’s research explores the interplay between human health, ecosystems, and environmental stressors, with a particular focus on climate change. They have contributed significantly to understanding how anthropogenic activities and natural events, such as forest fires, impact air quality, ecosystems, and public health. By integrating climate change into this framework, their work provides valuable insights into the cascading effects of environmental shifts on human and ecological systems.