Dr. Maria de Fátima Lopes Alves holds an MSc in Urban and Regional Planning and a PhD in Sciences Applied to the Environment from the University of Aveiro (Portugal). She is professor at the Department of Environment and Planning at the University of Aveiro and researcher at the Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM). Her main fields of expertise are Integrated Coastal and Marine Management, Coastal and Marine Governance, Communication and Public Participation Process, and Climate Change Adaptation Measures and Policies, in coastal areas.   She is participating/has participated in national (FCT) and international research projects (EU LIFE ENV, FP7 and INTERREG IV, CIRCLE_MED) on ICZM, MSP and Environment Planning. Some of these projects are TPEA (DG MARE), LAGOONS (FP7), SPRES (INTERREG IV B: ATLANTIC AREA) and ClimAdaPT.Local (EEA Grants). She has also vast experience in the coordination of multidisciplinary teams has member of the coordination team of the Portuguese MSP and CZM Plans in the Portuguese mainland and of Azores islands.