Maria has more than 17 of experience in programme and project management, specifically focused on international research and development, gained by working on a huge range of programmes funded by several donors and development agencies worldwide, like FCDO, World Bank, WHO, the UNDP, EC and other governmental agencies and foundations -like Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She has been at LSHTM for over 4 years as research programme manager for a series of grants, including the managment of the 5 year multilateral multimillion dollar grant "Flagship 5 Improving Human Health", under the "CGIAR Programme on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH)", all focused on malaria and other vector-borne diseases, agriculture landscapes, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antibiotics stewardship in One Health. Maria has previously worked at the Overseas Development Institute –ODI- as programme manager for the Water Policy Programme and on the management of the multilateral Development Programme grant, funded by BMGF. She has an academic background in International Studies, high honours degree achieved with the Open University in the UK, as well as business studies. Maria is currently working at LSHTM as Programme Manager for the FCDO funded RAFT Consortium (Resilience Against Future Threats through vector control), led by LSHTM in partnership with Malaria Consortium, Institut Pierre Richet in Côte d'Ivoire, Centre for Research of Infectious Diseases (CRID) in Cameroon, National Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) Tanzania, Mahidol University in Thailand and Imperial College, UK.