Milene is a researcher in the Economic Geography Section at the University of Utrecht. Her research interest focuses on the diversification of regions in terms of activities and occupations, innovation indicators, labor market and workers' skills, complexity and regional inequality. The research focus includes the European Union and other developing countries, such as Brazil.

PhD in Economics from the University of São Paulo (FEA-USP), in Brazil. Master in Scientific and Technological Policy from UNICAMP and a Bachelor in Economics from UNESP. She was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Johannesburg between 2019 and 2021, with a Global Excellence Stature fellowship at the South African Research Chair in Industrial Development (SARChI-ID) in South Africa.

She is a Senior Research Associate at the South African Center for Industrial Development (SARChi-ID) at the University of Johannesburg and a researcher associate at the University of Sao Paulo Regional and Urban Economics  Lab (NEREUS-USP) and at the Economic Research Institute Foundation (FIPE).

She also worked as a senior economist at the Brazilian Plastic Industry Association (ABIPLAST) and has done commissioned work for the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Industrial Development Think Tank (IDTT South Africa), University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa), SARChI in Industrial Development (South Africa), FIPE, IEDI, CNI and industry associations in Brazil.