Raquel received her Bachelor's and Master's degree in Biochemistry from the University of Coimbra and Porto, Portugal respectively. During her master she studied nerve regeneration which revealed her interest for neuroscience. Afterwards she spent three years at the Gulbenkian Institute of Science researching the role of the nervous system in obesity. In August 2020, Raquel joined the Life Science Graduate School Zürich and started her PhD in Prof. Hanns ulrich Zeilhofer lab in the field of neuroscience. She will study the role of spinal interneurons in the transmission of pain and itch signalling. In her free time, she enjoys travelling, cross-stitching, watching movies and yoga.