Maria do Carmo Fonseca (born Almada, Portugal, 9 August 1959) is a Portuguese scientist, full professor of Molecular Cell Biology and Onco-biology at the University of Lisbon Medical School and president of the Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes (Molecular Medicine Institute at the University of Lisbon).

Her research is focused in pre-mRNA splicing and aims to contribute to the development of new diagnostic approaches and treatment strategies for related diseases.

[1] After studying Medicine at University of Lisbon, Maria do Carmo Fonseca completed her PhD in 1988.

She broadened her studies in institutions such as the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), in Germany.

[1][3] She is member of the Portuguese Academy of Sciences, the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) and the Portuguese Academy of Medicine[4] and editor for the Journal of Cell Science[5] and the RNA journal.