Inês Valente holds a master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from NOVA-FCT. She started working as a researcher in 2022 and is current part of the Energy and Climate group at CENSE – Center for Environmental Research and Sustainability, NOVA-FCT – NOVA University of Lisbon. Her research topics cover energy efficiency financing schemes, energy and thermal comfort vulnerability, and energy efficiency one-stop shops. She has contributed to several national and European projects in these areas, such as the Energy Poverty Advisory Hub (EPAH), the LIFE HORIS project, which aimed to develop digital One-Stop Shops for home renovation, provided support for national energy efficiency financing schemes for general population (PAE+S II and PAE+S 2023) and targeted to vulnerable population (Vale Eficiência) and is involved in the development and monitoring process of a local financing scheme in a municipality of Cascais (Fundos Verdes Cascais). She is the author of two peer-reviewed articles and a co-author of several reports addressing the aforementioned topics. She has experience in data collection and engagement with vulnerable populations, having conducted surveys among youth concerning energy poverty and thermal comfort in schools. Furthermore, she has completed a course in ethnographic research and participated in a 10-day field study focused on collecting data related to citizens’ perceptions of energy and sustainability.