Ana Margarida Costa
Professor of Practice
Chief Sustainability Officer
“Sustainability research must go beyond academia. To build lasting environmental and climate resilience, wemust translate science into action—empowering decision-makers and communities worldwide.”
Biography
As the founding head of KAUST’s Office of Sustainability, Professor Ana Margarida Costa steers the university’s sustainability agenda, advancing policy implementation, research integration, strategic partnerships and climate action.She oversees institutional sustainability performance and reporting, ensuring alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. With over 25 years of experience, she has worked at the intersection of academia, industry and government, translating research into sustainability strategies and solutions that support decision-making in climate and environmental matters. Prior to KAUST, she led the Environmental and Air Quality Unit at the Institute of Environment and Development in Portugal, overseeing multimillion-dollar R&D and consultancy projects worldwide. As an academic, Prof. Costa has lectured multiple environmental and engineering courses and supervised undergraduate and graduate students.
Research Interests
Professor Costa’s research explores environmental sustainability, air quality modeling and urban atmospheric systems. She specialized in numerical modeling of atmospheric flows, pollutant dispersion and human exposure, with applications in sustainable urban planning and environmental impact assessment. Her work on air quality management, climate action and urban resilience bridges science with policy to support decision-making. She has authored over 70 peer-reviewed research articles, conference papers, book chapters and technical reports.
Education Profile
PhD in Environmental Applied Sciences, University of Aveiro, Portugal 2008
MSc in Atmospheric Pollution, University of Aveiro, Portugal 2003
Integrated Master’s Degree (5 years) in Environmental Engineering, University of Aveiro, Portugal, 2000
Publications
Research Areas
- Earth Science and Engineering