Joana Maria Sampaio Rua Fernandes is an adjunct professor at the School of Communication, Administration and Tourism (EsACT) of the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB), with a PhD in Industrial and Systems Engineering, in the branch of knowledge of Economic Engineering, in 2010, from the University of Minho (with a degree in Production Engineering and Industrial Management and a Master's degree in Industrial Engineering). She is researching along two main lines, one markedly qualitative on the subject of student dropout in higher education, and the second quantitative on the economic impacts of higher education institutions on regional development and the determination of human capital. She has participated in several international conferences, both as a member of the scientific committee and as a speaker, and has published books, book chapters and papers. She was the operational coordinator of the international project "Creating Business Cooperation Networks in Cross-Border Rural Areas in the Agri-Food (gourmet) and Tourism Sectors (CREECER)". She is a member of the coordinating committee of the Center for Research, Development and Innovation in Tourism (CiTUR) - Guarda Hub and is a member of the Editorial Board of the Universal Journal of Educational Research.

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