Vanessa Pereira was a graduate student at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill co-advised by Dr. Linden, for her Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering in 2005. During her time with Dr. Linden, she researched UV and ozone degradation of pharmaceuticals in water. After graduation, she went on to work as a research associate at the Institute of Chemical and Biological Technology at the University of Lisbon, Portugal.