Maria Ilhéu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Landscape, Environment, and Planning at the University of Évora, and a Researcher at MED – Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment, and Development, as well as at CHANGE – Institute for Global Change and Sustainability. She holds a Master’s degree in Ecology and a PhD in Ecology and Environment.

Her scientific work spans the conservation and management of aquatic systems, having promoted and led numerous research projects in this field as well in Environmental education in a more-than-human worlds. She is the author of an extensive body of scientific publications in ecology and in education for environmental sustainability.

In last decade, her work has increasingly focused on interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary action‑research in the ecocultural domain, with particular emphasis on ecological reconciliation with multipecies community and on curating public‑facing environmental intervention projects. The relationships between Nature and Culture and the interespecies studies  form the core of her intellectual and pedagogical interests, shaping her approach as both teacher and researcher.

She currently coordinates the e‑learning postgraduate programme Environment, Sustainability, and Education at the University of Évora, as well as the EUGreen Alliance international course Living, Inquiring, and Knowing: Outdoor Practices for Sustainability.