Maria José Roxo is a Full Professor in the Department of Geography and Regional Planning at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities of NOVA University of Lisbon and an integrated researcher at the Interdisciplinary Center for Social Sciences (CICS.NOVA).
She has coordinated and participated in national and international projects in the areas of desertification, climate change, and natural risks. She is a member of the National Commission for Combating Desertification and the scientific coordinator for the Experimental Center for Soil Erosion in Mértola. Her research focuses primarily on the Baixo Alentejo region, which also constitutes the focus of her scientific publications. In 2013, she received the Dryland Champions award, granted by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), presented in Lisbon by the Secretary of State for Agriculture, Sea, and Environment, representing the Ministry of Spatial Planning. She is a member of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences and of the National Council for Environment and Sustainable Development.