Maria Leonor Ribeiro holds a master's degree in Biomedical Engineering with a specialization in Biomaterials, Rehabilitation, and Biomechanics from the University of Minho (2021).

During her MSc, she participated in an Erasmus+ internship at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, where she studied alterations in the mechanical properties of cartilage due to MicroCT contrast agents under the supervision of Dr. Harry van Lenthe. Subsequently, she conducted her master's dissertation at the 3B's Research Group (Biomaterials, Biodegradables, and Biomimetics). Under the guidance of Dr. Nuno Neves and co-supervised by Dr. Helena Ferreira, Leonor developed a hydrogel for controlled drug release to treat glioblastoma.

After completing her MSc, she was hired as a Junior Research Fellow at the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), where she joined the Ultra-fast Bio and Nanophotonics Research Group led by Dr. rer. nat. Jana Nieder. In this position, Leonor conducted metabolic imaging of cell models using the multiphoton microscope developed as part of the ExtreMed project.

Currently, Leonor is a PhD student in the Biomedical Sciences Doctoral Program at Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto. Her supervisors are Dr. Bruno Sarmento (i3S) and Dr. rer. nat. Jana Nieder (INL). Her research project focuses on the development of a novel nanoparticle system for combined photodynamic and immunotherapy of lung cancer, characterized in a 3D model using metabolic imaging.