Ana Isabel Xavier is an Assistant Professor in UAL and ISCTE-IUL and a Research Fellow in Observare-UAL, CEI-IUL and at the Research Centre of the Security and Defence at the Portuguese Military University Institute. She has a bachelor’s degree in International Relations, a Master degree in Sociology and holds a PhD in International Relations (European Studies), from the University of Coimbra with a dissertation entitled "The European Union and Human Security: a crisis management global player in search of a strategic culture?”.

She was a member of the Jacques Delors European Centre Team of Trainers and a European Commission’s Team Europe engaging, for several years, in training activities on European Studies, Human Rights, Non-Formal Education and Citizenship. Since 2016, Ana Isabel Xavier is also part of the pool of trainers of the European College of Security and Defence in the CSDP Training for Eastern Partnership Countries and CSDP Reflection Seminar.

From March 2015 to February 2017, served as Defence Policy Deputy Director in the Portuguese Ministry of National Defence. She was pro bono President of DECIDE (Youth Association of security, defence and citizenship auditors) and AACDN (Association of former auditors of the Defence National Courses).

Ana Isabel Xavier is frequently enrolled in the portuguese media to comment on european and international politics: in the national public television, she is part of the international relations’ experts of a weekly programme called “Olhar o Mundo” (https://www.rtp.pt/play/p3107/e283018/olhar-o-mundo); she is also regularly invited by radio Antena 1 and TSF and a local radio broadcasting weekly programme called “European magazine” where she discusses european and international politics.

Her main research interests and publications include the European Union, Security and Defence, Human Security, Human Rights and Globalization. 

In 2015 she was awarded with the Marshall Memorial Fellowship by the German Marshall Fund of the United States. In 2013 she was a Fullbright fellow of the SUSI Institute on U.S. National Security Policymaking.

In 2016, Ana Isabel Xavier received the “Cruz del Mérito Aeronáutico con Distintibo Blanco” by the Government of Spain, granted on the “basis of merits, works, actions, acts or distinguished services carried out during the performance of missions or services ordinarily or extraordinarily entrusted to the Armed Forces or related to Defense".