Paula studied Biology at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC). In her degree, she did an internship in clinical microbiology at the Hospital de Fuenlabrada. On her Degree Thesis at the URJC, she optimized a method to quantify nitrate reductase enzyme activity in two species of microalgae.

Once she finished her degree, she did a Master’s Degree in Biotechnology at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. She did her Master’s Thesis in the Centre for Molecular Biology “Severo Ochoa” (CBMSO-CSIC) where she characterized by genetic engineering new yeast enzymes producing compounds with industrial interest.

Through the Youth Guarantee call promoted by the Community of Madrid, she joins the Dr. Rodríguez Beltrán’s group to work during the next few years in her doctoral thesis investigating the evolution of the bacterium E. coli ST131, a highly threatening pathogen for global health due to its high resistance to antibiotics.