Ana Colaço is a researcher at the University of the Azores for more than 20 years. She specializes in hydrothermal vent ecosystems, trophic ecology of deep-sea systems, benthic ecology, ecosystem functioning and conservation. She has large experience in international cooperation participating in several projects as the institutional PI dedicated to observatories and tools for extreme environments (ESONET; EXOCET/D; FIXO3), and ecology and impact on the Deep-sea (CHEMECO; DeepFun- FCT MIDAS, JPIO MiningImpact I & II, Sponges-H2020; FunAzores-Açores2020). She participated on the Second World Ocean Assessment of the United Nations and contributed to The Portuguese Agenda for the Ocean promoted by the Portuguese Science Foundation. She was involved as an expert in several science-policy panels of the European Commission, International Seabed Authority, and the Portuguese government, and as nominee in CBD processes such as EBSA and the post 2020 GBF. She participated to over 35 oceanographic cruises with submersibles (including 12 as a PI) and to five manned submersible dives (Alvin, Nautile and Lula1000).