Dr. Luana is currently an Assistant Professor (Profesor Ayudante Doctor) at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (Madrid, Spain) within the Chemical and Environmental Technologies Department. Her career began with a degree in Food Engineering from Universidade de São Paulo (USP) in Brazil, including a one-year research stay at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in the USA, followed by an MS in Chemical Engineering from UFSCar, Brazil. In 2017, she started her PhD at UNICAMP, supported by a competitive FAPESP grant (26.8% approval rate), where she specialized in the supercritical fluid fractionation of bioactive compounds from passion fruit by-products and underexplored Brazilian seeds. During her doctoral studies, she secured funding for a one-year research stay at CIAL-CSIC in Madrid under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Elena Ibáñez, while also completing a 50-hour summer course at the University of Chile. After defending her thesis in 2022, she transitioned into industry as the R&D Director at Bread Free S.L., where she managed industrial contracts, secured funding for Industrial PhD and regional knowledge transfer projects from the Government of Navarra, and led the development of a currently exploited international patent for gluten-free flours. Her postdoctoral career includes a tenure at the University of Valladolid focusing on CO2 carbon capture and conversion into formic acid, and a Juan de la Cierva Postdoctoral Fellowship at Foodomics (CIAL-CSIC), focusing on green extraction of bioactives from insects, which included a lipidomics research stay at Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP).

Currently, she has 25 relevant contributions, including 22 Scopus-indexed articles, accumulating 572 citations and an h-index of 11. Her research aligns with Sustainable Development Goals 6, 7, 9, and 13. She has participated in 10 research projects across Brazil, Spain, and the United States. Her commitment to mentorship is evidenced by her tutoring of two PhD, four MSc, and four BSc theses. Professionally, she is a Guest Editor for Foods, an active reviewer for over 10 journals, and an expert evaluator for AENOR and Brazil¿s Programa Centelha. An ANECA-accredited Doctor Permanent Professor since 2023, she has also served as a teaching assistant and guest lecturer at USP, UCP, and Universidad de la Amazonia. Beyond her core research, she has engaged in advanced training in AI and disseminated her work through initiatives like "Semana de la Ciencia," showcasing a multidisciplinary profile capable of transforming science into applied sustainable solutions.