Ana Paula Mendonça

Ana Paula Mendonça works at the intersection of EU research funding, science policy, and innovation, with a background in biomedical research. She holds a PhD in Biochemistry from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and carried out MSCA-funded postdoctoral research at the University of Padova on ocular drug delivery and rare optic neuropathies. A former DAAD fellow at the University of Bremen, she has lived and worked across Brazil, Germany, and Italy, and brings that experience to her work as an Expert Evaluator for the European Commission and as a scientific and innovation consultant for public and private institutions. Within the MCAA, Ana Paula chaired the Italy Chapter and previously served as MCAA Newsletter Editor. She co-authored the MSCA Supervision Guidelines, now used by more than 22,000 researchers, and was named an eLife Science Ambassador in 2022 and a Scientific Leader by Falling Walls Female Science Talent 2024.