Sara Isabel Guerra Carvalhal Bandarra (publishing as Sara Carvalhal) is a contracted researcher at the University of Algarve and Principal Investigator at the Algarve Biomedical Center – Research Institute (ABC-Ri), where she has led the Chromosome Segregation in Disease Lab since March 2022. Her research programme aims to understand how mitotic machinery contributes to disease, with particular emphasis on rare diseases. Sara Carvalhal’s interest in mitotic biology began during her PhD in Life Sciences at the University of Dundee, completed in 2016, where she was awarded a BBSRC PhD Studentship and received institutional distinctions for best poster and best scientific image among more than 200 participants. She holds a Licenciatura in Biochemistry (2008) and a Mestrado in Medical Biochemistry (2010) from the Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon. From 2016 until her appointment as an independent Principal Investigator, Sara carried out postdoctoral research at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC), funded by an ERC Starting Grant and FCT support, under the supervision of Dr. Raquel Oliveira. Sara Carvalhal has 16 publications, including seven first- or last-author peer-reviewed scientific articles (four as corresponding author), comprising original research articles and one invited review, published in leading journals in the field, such as Trends in Neurosciences, Science Advances, and Journal of Cell Biology. Her 2022 publication (Carvalhal et al., 2022) received wide international media coverage. Throughout her career, she has been selected to give talks at international scientific meetings (including highly prestigious cell-cycle conferences in Roscoff) and invited to deliver seminars at national and international institutions, totalling 16 oral communications, eight of which occurred after establishing her independent group. She has played an active leadership role within the scientific community, organising 15 scientific events, including the 2023 Regional FENS Meeting in the Algarve, and contributing to institutional outreach and public-engagement initiatives. Her academic service has included representation roles at the PhD and undergraduate levels, as well as, as a Principal Investigator, participation in institutional seminar committees and coordination of science-to-society activities, including the ABC-RI Green Group and the ABC-RI Career Mentorship Programme. Sara Carvalhal has contributed to science education and advanced training, having supervised three PhD theses (ongoing), MSc dissertations (as supervisor and co-supervisor), and undergraduate course-completion projects. She has served as the main arguer in four Master’s theses and one PhD thesis. Since 2020, she has been involved in postgraduate teaching at the University of Algarve, contributing to three degree programmes within the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Her research activities involve collaboration with 83 co-authors, reflecting a strong international and interdisciplinary research network. As a Principal Investigator, Sara Carvalhal has secured competitive funding, including an FCT CEEC-IND contract supporting her salary as an independent researcher until 2026, six projects as PI, one project as Co-PI, and participation as a team member in two additional projects. She has received 15 awards and honours, including the EMBO Short-Term Fellowship, Maratona da Saúde 2022 Award (single Junior category award), L’Oréal Portugal Medal of Honour for Women in Science (2022), BBSRC PhD Studentship, FCT PhD Fellowship, and institutional distinctions for scientific excellence. Her curriculum vitae reflects sustained engagement in outreach, science communication, and institutional responsibilities.