Catarina Sampaio Ventura was born in Coimbra in 1971. She graduated in Law from the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra in 1995, where she also completed the taught component of a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Sciences (1998–1999) and a postgraduate degree in Medical Law (2003–2004). She was also a Trainee Assistant at the Faculty, teaching Constitutional Law and Political Science, as well as Public International and European Law (1996–2001). She served as Deputy Director of the Ius Gentium Conimbrigae/Coimbra Human Rights Centre (2000–2001) and as a Human Rights Consultant, seconded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in connection with the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union (1999–2000). In 1998, she was awarded the Prince Bernhard Scholarship at Utrecht University. She is the author of several publications in the fields of fundamental and human rights and on the institution of the Ombudsperson.She joined the Ombudsperson’s Office in 2002 as a member of the Ombudsperson’s Cabinet and has served as an Adviser since 2006. She has held coordinating roles since April 2023 and currently serves as Coordinator of Unit A – Liberty, Justice and Security.