Emma Patricia Salas O'Brien holds a degree in sociology from the National University of Saint Augustine (UNSA), with a master's degree in Development Strategies and Social Policies from the same university.

She also completed a Ph.D. in Social Sciences at the Catholic University of Santa María (UCSM) in Arequipa.

[1][2] She has been a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Social History and Sociology at UCSM (1989-2010), as well as a senior lecturer and researcher at the Institute for Educational Research and Policy at the Antonio Ruiz de Montoya University (UARM) (2010-2011).

She is an associate of the Centro de Investigación, Educación y Desarrollo (Center for Research, Education and Development) (CIED), as well as a founding member of the Grupo Impulsor Inversión en la Infancia.

On July 28, 2011, she was sworn in as Minister of Education, as a member of President Ollanta Humala's first cabinet.