Ana is also a researcher at The University of São Paulo Regional and Urban Economics lab, and holds a Ph.D in Economics from the same university, having spent two semesters abroad at Arizona State University (GeoDA Center) and VU Amsterdam (Spatial Economics Department).

Moreover, she has experience with research projects in the academic and professional environments, with a significant list of publications in academic journals. Her research is mostly centered on applied economic analysis, with a specialization in regional and urban economics. In that sense,Ana is involved with the international academic network in regional science, having participated on many international conferences in the area, and being a founding member of the Regional Science Academy.