Irene Cortesão Costa has a degree in Sociology (Faculty of Arts, University of Porto), with a Music Degree from the Porto Conservatory; a Master's Degree in Anthropology Applied to Community Work and a Professional Diploma in Community Work (Goldsmiths College, University of London); a Postgraduate Diploma in ‘Expression-Communication and Languages in Socio-educational Practice’ (Escola d'Expressió i Psicomotricitat - Institut d'Educació de Barcelona) and a PhD in Educational Sciences from the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the University of Porto.  
Adjunct professor at the Paula Frassinetti School of Education, responsible for the musical expression curricular units of the basic and social education courses. Supervisor of professional internships in the area of Early Childhood Education. She researches artistic intervention in the community with children, young people and adults, with a special interest in the area of music and how non-formal education experiences in the artistic field can contribute to the personal, social and artistic development of these groups.