Andreia Gonçalves obtained her MSc in Bioengineering, with a specialization in molecular biotechnology, from the University of Porto in 2019. Andreia developed her Master's thesis in the laboratory of Ana Paula Pêgo at the I3S, in Porto, where she developed and characterized a 3D synthetic hydrogel that mimics the microenvironment of the neural stem cell niche. After completing her degree, Andreia worked as an early-stage researcher at the Portuguese start-up Biofabics, within the context of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie staff exchange program. Through her secondments at Fraunhofer IGB (Germany), the Institute for Experimental Medicine (Czechia), and the Technical University of Vienna (Austria), Andreia strengthened her hands-on experience in 3D printing and dynamic culture techniques for bone and skin tissue engineering and regeneration, while appreciating the value of multidisciplinary and multicultural team environments.

In September 2022, Andreia integrated the INCDP2022 cohort of Champalimaud's PhD students, and has entrusted the microenvironment at the Cancer Dormancy & Immunity Laboratory to develop her thesis project starting in April 2023. Driven by her passion for cancer neuroscience, Andreia aims at understanding the interplay between the nervous and immune systems during the progression of breast cancer from dormant to metastatic.