Favia Gomes got her B.Sc. degree in Biological Sciences at the University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (1991, UERJ), followed by a M.Sc. developed at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and at The Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel. After, she got a PhD degree in Neurosciences at UFRJ (1999), followed by sabbatical periods at Université Paris VII (2001), France, and at the Scripps Research Institute, USA (2004). Currently, she is a Full Professor in the Institute of Biomedical Sciences/UFRJ, head of the Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory and Coordinator of the Graduation Program of Morphological Sciences of UFRJ. She is also member of the Directory of the Brazilian Society of Cell Biology, member of the Council of the International Society of Neurochemistry and of the Brazilian Academy of Science. She is currently editorial board of 4 scientific journals; Neurochemistry International, Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, Developmental Neuroscience and Annals of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. The main focus of her research is to unveil the mechanisms involved in astrocyte generation and differentiation, and its interaction with neurons, especially those modulated by growth factors, hormones and neurotransmitters. Currently, her group is interested in identifying how glial cells contribute to synapse formation and dysfunction during brain development and pathologies, including Alzheimer´s Disease, Schizophrenia and Endocrine Disorders.