Raquel Lobo do Vale is an Assistant Professor at the School of Science and Technology, University of Évora, with a background in Forest Engineering and a PhD in Environmental Sciences. Her research focuses on plant physiology and forest ecophysiology, with a particular emphasis on Mediterranean ecosystems and agroforestry systems, especially cork oak woodlands. She seeks to understand how trees and these ecosystems respond to drought, warming, shrub encroachment, and other pressures associated with climate change.

Her scientific experience also includes work in the Amazon tropical rainforest, and she has developed research on plant water balance, carbon dynamics, tree growth, and ecosystem functioning and resilience. She has participated in and coordinated national and international projects, published in leading scientific journals, and contributed to collaborative networks in ecology, plant physiology, and sustainable ecosystem management. She values rigorous, collaborative, and socially relevant science, as well as teaching that encourages curiosity, critical thinking, and the connection between scientific knowledge and real-world environmental challenges.