Valeria is originally from Brazil where she studied Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, focusing on water management to sustain agriculture in semiarid regions, including the reuse of wastewater for irrigation and plants tolerance to marginally saline water. Valeria participated in a one year-traineeship at Fillmore Greenhouses, in the United States of America, working on hydroponic tomato crop care.

Her PhD in Chemical Engineering was obtained from the University of New South Wales, focusing on developing a membrane-based subsurface irrigation capable of delivering in-situ desalination and plant-driven irrigation. Valeria also worked as a Research Associate at the University, continuing her PhD research and supervising undergraduate students on membrane-based irrigation.