Manuela Patrício is a Professor of Public Law at the Faculty of Business Sciences of Porto (Faculdade de Ciências Empresariais do Porto – FCEP), part of the Universidade Técnica do Porto (UTP), Portugal, where she also serves as Vice-Dean. She holds a PhD in Public Law from the University of Vigo (2009), with a doctoral thesis entitled “The Individual Employment Contract and the Legal Employment Relationship in Public Administration”. Her doctoral degree was formally recognized in Portugal by the University of Porto on 31 August 2009. She also holds a Master's degree in Law, specializing in Legal and Political Sciences, from the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra (1997), with a dissertation entitled “Lei-Medida – Alguns pontos de reflexão”. Her academic and research interests focus primarily on Public Law, particularly Administrative Law, with a special emphasis on the principles governing public administration, good administration, administrative organization, and public governance, as well as the legal challenges arising from digital transformation. Her current research addresses the autonomy and institutional organization of higher education institutions, particularly the legal personality of their constituent units, as well as the contemporary development of administrative law and the implications of artificial intelligence for public decision-making. She is the author and co-author of academic publications and papers presented at national and international scientific conferences. Alongside her teaching and research activities, she has extensive experience in academic governance and institutional management, having served as Vice-President of ISCAP since May 2018 and continuing in this role following its transformation into FCEP within the Universidade Técnica do Porto. She is also Director of the Master's program in Management of Organizations, specializing in Public Management.