Nunes studied physics engineering at the Instituto Superior Técnico from 1987 to 1992.
[1] After postdoctoral research at the Instituto Superior Técnico, she taught at Fernando Pessoa University in Portugal from 1998 to 2003.
In 1999, she added a second affiliation as assistant professor of physics at the Instituto Superior Técnico.
She moved to Michigan State University in 2003 as an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL).
[2] In 2021 she received the Distinguished Service Award of the APS Division of Nuclear Physics, "for her exceptional and rich contributions toward making the DNP a place where all members can thrive, especially those from traditionally underrepresented groups, including service as the inaugural chair of the subcommittee on harassment prevention and the creation of the DNP Allies program".