Vanda obtained her PhD in Biomedicine at the University of Porto, Portugal. She did her postdoctoral research first at the Bristol Medical School, UK, studying the insulin-PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in diabetic nephropathy, then at IPATIMUP where her focus was on aberrant glycosylation in lupus nephritis and inflammatory bowel disease. 

Currently, Vanda is a Project Manager at the Immunology, Cancer & Glycomedicine group where she oversees the GlycanTrigger project, funded by Horizon Europe. In addition to her role on GlycanTrigger, Vanda is also involved in the management of the ERC Synergy-funded project, GlycanSwitch. With her expertise in glycosylation and immunology research, Vanda is dedicated to advancing the field through the successful execution of these important projects.