I am a Research Associate at the Institute of Child Health (ICH), University College London (UCL) working in the translation of advanced neuroimaging techniques into clinical practice, in particular for paediatric neurosurgery, in collaboration with medical doctors at the Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH). I have been awarded a BRC Catalyst Fellowhsip in 2019 to work on a pilot project aimed at minimising visual system degeneration following hemidisconnection surgery in children. I have arrived at UCL in 2016, after finishing a PhD in Neuroimaging at King’s College London (KCL) for the development of new diffusion MRI methods to explore brain connectivity. As a complement to my academic activity, I have also developed efforts to use science as a means to bring different communities together, from talking to children about my own research to leading the Portuguese Association of Researchers and Students in the UK (PARSUK), an association tailored for promoting knowledge exchange amongst its members. As President of this association I developed an interest for science policy/diplomacy and led my team to create the first Scientific Advisory Board to a Portuguese Embassy worldwide, of which I am now the Secretary. I have recently been awarded funding to evaluate the relevance and impact of PARSUK’s Science Advisory and the wider science advice mechanisms at the Embassy of Portugal in the United Kingdom, working in collaboration with researchers at the Science Technology Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP). Finally, I am passionate about bringing people together and positively impacting the world, and believes in the power of science policy/diplomacy to achieve that goal.