Estrela Figueiredo was a tenured scientist at the Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical, Lisboa, Portugal, until 2007, after which she assumed associate positions at the South African National Biodiversity Institute and the University of Pretoria. She is currently attached to the Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha, South Africa. As a plant systematist, she has focused virtually her entire career on the flora of Africa, including that of Angola. Among her many books, she is coauthor with Gideon F. Smith of Plants of Angola / Plantas de Angola and Common Names of Angolan Plants.