Catarina Mateus has a Master of Arts in Preventive Conservation by Northumbria University (2008), a major degree in Art Peritage by Escola Superior de Artes Decorativas (1999) and a bachelor in Conservation and Restoration from Instituto Politécnico de Tomar (1996). She works as a curator of Photography collections and conservator-restorer at the National Museum of Natural History and Science-University of Lisbon. She participated in several research projects related to colonial and scientific Portuguese photography.

Her special interests are photography conservation, history of science, photography, preventive conservation and curatorship.