My name is Alessandra Souza dos Santos. I hold a Master degree in Biotechnology from the Universidade Federal do Delta do Parnaíba, a Specialisation in Biodiversity and Conservation from the Universidade Estadual do Piauí, and a Degree in Biological Sciences from the Universidade Federal do Piauí. My academic and professional background covers the bioprospecting of plant species for insecticide activity, notably against Aedes aegypti, the mosquito vector for dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. At the same time, I have extensive experience in floristic surveys, plant taxonomy, ethnobotany, biodiversity and conservation, with a special focus on native flora, scientific curation and computerisation of biological collections ‘Virtual Herbarium of Flora and Fungi’. In previous jobs, I participated in the organisation of scientific events and editorial production, co-organisation, including the layout of e-books and the creation/generation of websites for the events. I also co-edited the proceedings of abstracts.