[1] Becerra received her Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Navarra in 1979 studying lipid-protein interactions of liver mitochondria enzymes.

She received postdoctoral research training with Samuel H. Wilson [Wikidata] at the National Cancer Institute studying enzymology of DNA polymerases and exonucleases, followed by training at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in molecular virology of adeno-associated virus.

She returned to Wilson's lab as an expert to study structure-function relationships of HIV reverse transcriptase.

The interests of her section are in protein structure as it relates to function, with a focus on the interactions of components involved in cell differentiation, survival, and maintenance.

[2] Becerra also investigates protein structure and function in relation to drug development for combating blindness.