Rita obtained a Pharmaceutical Sciences degree from Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade de Lisboa in 1995 and she received her PhD in Chemistry in 1999 from the Universidade Nova de Lisboa (NOVA). She is the head of the Bioorganic Chemistry Group at the Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica – Universidade Nova de Lisboa (ITQB NOVA), since 2005.

Her main research interests are the synthesis of natural molecules and their analogues with potential biological applications. Rita has extensive experience in the asymmetric synthesis of structurally diverse natural compounds and analogues, carbohydrate chemistry, solid supported synthesis and asymmetric organocatalysis.