Beatriz is a PhD student in Political Science and International Relations: Security and Defense at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa. Her doctoral research focusses on the role of democratic institutions in mitigating heightened risks of climate-related conflict. Before starting her PhD, Bia worked for the UK government as a Senior Policy Advisor at the Department for International Trade, advising on a number of issues in relation to the UK’s representation at the World Trade Organization. Later she moved to the private sector, working in the Public Affairs sector, advising companies and charities on the impact of political and policy developments across several issues, including NI Protocol, ESG, sustainable mobility and cybersecurity matters. Bia holds a BA in International Relations (with Applied Quantitive Methods) from the University of Essex and a MSc in Politics and Communication from the London School of Economics (LSE).