Graduated in Biology in 1982 from the University of Lisbon, Portugal, Teresa Cerveira Borges finished her Doctoral degree in Fisheries Biology (1990) at the University of Tromsø, Norway. Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Algarve (UAlg), and member of the research Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR) since 1994, her main research interests have been the effects of fishing on the environment (biodiversity, by-catch & discards, ghost-fishing), and the biology and fisheries of cephalopods, topics of several international research projects, as coordinator or participant, and of articles and books, as author or co-author. As main research achievements, she coordinated several research projects on these subjects, and together with a team of 10, got the first results on fisheries by-catch and discards in Portugal (1997). In the area of fisheries biology, she also worked at the National Institute for Fisheries Research (INIP/IPMA), Lisbon, Portugal (1980-1984), and at the General Directorate of Fisheries (DG XIV-C-1) of the European Commission, Brussels, Belgium (1991-1994).
In more recent years, she has also been involved in several projects dealing with international cooperation and capacity building in higher education in developing countries. For six years (2008-2013) as Pro-Rector for international relations at UAlg, she coordinated all cooperation and development programmes in Higher Education of UAlg, as well as the International Relations Office. Leader of a team of 12 people, during this period UAlg achieved a three-fold increase on new financed projects and students on mobility, as well as a four-fold increase of new project applications.
In her professional path she also worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, General Directorate of International Economic Organizations, Lisbon (1978-1980), at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Lisbon (1976-1978), and at the Library of the Finances General Directorate of Angola, Luanda (1972-1975).