PhD in Literary Studies from the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lisbon (FLUL), where she has been a faculty member since 1983. Between 1988 and 1992, she was seconded by the Government of Macau to serve at the Macau Cultural Institute and was also a lecturer at the University of Macau.

From 1996 to 2002, she served as President of the Portuguese Institute of the Orient (IPOR), based in Macau, an entity supported by the Portuguese State and the Oriente Foundation, responsible for the teaching of the Portuguese language and the promotion of Portuguese culture in Asia. She was involved in the period of transition of Macau's administration from Portugal to the People's Republic of China.

On January 11, 2010, she was appointed President of the Camões Institute, I.P., and on April 15, 2012, President of the Board of Directors of Camões – Institute for Cooperation and Language, a position she held until October 31, 2017.

She is currently the Director of the Portuguese representation of the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science, and Culture (OEI), an intergovernmental organization that brings together 23 countries, including Portugal, Spain, and Brazil.

She is also a researcher at the Center for Comparative Studies at FLUL, having been a member of its Executive Committee. Her research areas include Travel Literature, Portuguese Orientalism, Language Policies, and Cultural Policies.