Maria da Luz Fernandes is a full researcher of the Research Unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies (GOVCOPP) at the Department of Social, Political and Territorial Sciences of the University of Aveiro (DCSPT, UA). She holds a Ph.D. from the Doctoral Program Do*Mar- Marine Science, Technology and Management from the University of Aveiro (2021) in collaboration with the University of Coruña.  Works at GOVCOPP since 2021 as a PhD Researcher (CEEC Junior Researcher). Between 2013 and 2021, she worked at CESAM (Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies) at the University of Aveiro, where she participated in several national and European-funded projects in Maritime Spatial Planning and Strategic Environmental Assessment, including TPEA and SIMATLANTIC. She has authored 16 publications in international journals, including Marine Policy, Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning, Cities, Journal of Cleaner Production, Ecological Indicators, and Science of the Total Environment. Her research interests are socio-ecological systems, coastal and maritime spatial planning, environmental assessment and sustainability transitions.