Ana Belén Macho is a Professor at the Pompeu Fabra University (Barcelona), where she teaches Public Finance and Tax Law (Faculty of Law) since 2001. 

She holds a degree in Law from the University of Barcelona, graduating with an Extraordinary Award (1997). Doctor of Law from the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), with a European Doctorate (2006) and Extraordinary Doctorate Award from the UPF Law Department (2009). Her doctoral thesis (“El principio de irretroactividad en Derecho tributario”/ “The principle of non-retroactivity in tax law”) was awarded the prize for Doctoral Thesis on Public Finance and Tax Law by the Ministry of Economy and Finance’s Institute for Fiscal Studies (2007) and a Special Mention in the Norberto Bobbio International Prize for the best doctoral thesis on legal sciences (2007).

Prof. Macho has conducted several research stays at institutions as the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster; the Università di Bologna; the Universidad de Lisboa; and the Fundação Getulio Vargas of Sao Paulo. She was a Visiting Scholar in the London School of Economics (2013). She has carried out two research stays at the New York University School of Law (2015 and 2018).

She has several publications in prestigious publishing houses and scientific journals. She has carried out several knowledge transfer contracts with institutions and entities. The findings from her research have been presented at major international and national academic events.

Throughout her scientific career, she has participated in 25 research projects, of which she has been the PI for 7 competitive projects and 8 research contracts. Currently, she is leading at the UPF the research project entitled “Financial activity of Strategic State” (STrATE 2.0) (PID2023-149184OB-C42), for the period 2025-2027. She is also leading the UPF Research Group on Public Finance and Tax Law (IDEF-UPF), since 2009. She has been a member of the Scientific Committee of the European Project “Fiscal State Aid: a training activity on EU principles, EU Courts’ case law, Member States’ internal law and case law; overcoming contradictions towards a common judicial culture”, Co-funded by the Training of National Judges Programme of the European Union (2021 to 2023). 

Prof. Macho has supervised 3 doctoral theses, already finished; currently she supervises 3 doctoral theses at the UPF. 

She has been Vice-Dean of the Pompeu Fabra University School of Law (2010 to 2013).

She has been Chairwoman of the Tribunal Económico Administrativo Municipal of L’Hospitalet (Barcelona) (2012 to 2023).