Mª Helena Guimarães is a Principal Investigator at MED – the Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development at the University of Évora. She holds a PhD in Environmental Sciences with a specialisation in territorial planning and sustainable natural resource management. She has published 49 peer-reviewed articles, four books and seven book chapters, and has led or participated in multiple national and international research projects, including Horizon 2020, LIFE and FCT-funded initiatives.

Her research integrates systems thinking, participatory approaches, and decision-support tools to address sustainability challenges in Mediterranean social-ecological systems — with a strong focus on the Montado/Dehesa landscape. She coordinates research groups and thematic lines at MED, leads the long-term Tertúlias do Montado transdisciplinary platform, and serves on the leadership board of the ITD Alliance. Her work has demonstrated how co-production of knowledge and transdisciplinary facilitation can inform public policy, strengthen territorial governance, and enhance the resilience of complex landscapes.