Joana is an oceanographer with a Master's degree in Physical Oceanography from the Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education of Ensenada (CICESE), Mexico. Her research has mainly focused on the observational study of the surface ocean circulation in the Gulf of Mexico, where she collaborated with the Research Group for Lagrangian Observations (GIOLA) at CICESE. She has also contributed to the analysis and assessment of the ocean energy potential, in particular from currents and thermal gradients in the Gulf of California, as part of the Remote Sensing, Autonomous, and Unmanned Vehicles Laboratory (SERVANT) at CICESE. In 2022, Joana completed postgraduate technical training in observational oceanography at the NF-POGO Centre of Excellence, hosted by the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany.

Her research interests include observational oceanography, cross-shelf exchange, heat transport, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), and science communication.

Joana is the main contact for the ARP, NORP, SORP and Marine Heatwaves RF.