Prof. Sara Xapelli graduated in Biology from the Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra (2003) and obtained her PhD on the neuroprotective and antiepileptic role of neuropeptide Y at the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (CNC), University of Coimbra (Portugal), the University of Southern Denmark, and the University of Alberta (Canada) (2008). She conducted her first postdoc at CNC, with an internship at the University of Southern Denmark, and a second postdoc at Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes (iMM) where she pioneered research on neural stem cells. Since 2018, Sara Xapelli is an Assistant Professor and a PI at FMUL. She is vice-president of the Portuguese Society for Neuroscience, member of the Mind-Brain College Executive Committee, and member of the General Meeting Board of the Portuguese Society of Stem Cells. Sara has received numerous awards, including the ISN Career Development Grant (2021) and the IBRO Early Career Award (2022).