Maria Paula Meneses was among the first researchers hired by CES as part of the Associated Laboratory in 2002, following her PhD in Anthropology from Rutgers University (USA). Since then, she has been an important member of CES research, advancing the field of postcolonial studies, particularly in the African context. She was co-coordinator of the Doctoral Programme in Postcolonialisms and Global Citizenship, which she supervised, and of the Research Group "Europe and the Global South." She also promoted participation in North-South and South-South cooperation networks, such as CODESRIA and CLACSO. Her work often focused on Mozambique, her country of origin. Even when ill, she always sought to continue her research, particularly on the FCT project she coordinated, "Revolutionary Pedagogies? History of education projects in Angola and Mozambique (1960s-1980s)".