Marta Chantal Ribeiro is assistant professor (with _tenure_) at the Faculdade de Direito da Universidade do Porto (Portugal) and she is the coordinator of the law of the sea research group of the Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR, University of Porto). She holds a master in European integration and a PhD on Law of the Sea. Since 2002, her international career has been developed through the publication of diversified academic papers, writing of legal reports and keynote talks at conferences, as well as in organizing scientific meetings, editing publications and participating, with leadership responsibilities, in key international projects particularly related with conservation of marine biodiversity, including the ABNJ, fisheries, deep-sea mining, marine spatial planning and maritime safety and security. She has a long experience of cooperation and capacity building with Timor Leste and, more recently, with several countries of the Gulf of Guinea region.