Ana Tostoes was born in the 3rd April 1959 in Lisbon where she lives. She is an architect (ESBAL, 1982), architecture historian (UNL, 1994) and chair of DOCOMOMO International. She is associate professor at the Civil Engineering and Architecture Department of the Instituto Superior Tecnico, Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa, where she is in charge of the architectural history and theory disciplines. She has been coordinating the master's degree in architecture (2007-2009). Actually she is the architecture focus area IST- Ecole Polytechnique de Lausanne (EPFL) Phd program responsible.
Her research field is the history of architecture and the city of the twentieth century, in which she develops an operative view oriented towards the conservation of modern architecture, focusing especially on post-war architectural culture and relations between Iberian, African and American modernity. On these topics she has published books and scientific articles and organised exhibitions: Portugal: Architektur im 20. Jahrhundert (Deutsche Architektur Museum, Frankfurt, 1997); Keil do Amaral, o arquitecto e o humanista (1999); Arquitectura Moderna Portuguesa 1920-1970, um patrimonio para conhecer e salvaguardar (Oporto, Lisbon, Evora, Coimbra, 2001-2004); Arquitectura e Cidadania. Atelier Nuno Teotonio Pereira (2004); Biblioteca Nacional.Exterior/Interior (2004); Gulbenkian Headquarters and Museum, The architecture of the 60s (2006); Lisboa 1758: The Baixa Plan Today (2008).
She has participated in several scientific conferences and given lectures in European, American and African universities. She has formed part of juries and scientific committees and has been invited as an expert to several awards. She is a member of ICOMOS for the modern heritage, formed part of the Advisory Council for IPPAR (Instituto Portugues do Patrimonio Arquitectonico) and was scientific assessor of IPPAR for the Inventario da Arquitectura do Movimento Moderno, on which she worked in collaboration with Iberian DOCOMOMO. She was member of the Scientific Committee at the fifth Iberian DOCOMOMO Congress (2005), was scientific coordinator of the "IAPXX-Survey of 20th Century Architecture in Portugal" (2004-2006), has contributed as an architecture critic to the Jornal Publico, was vice-president of the Portuguese section of AICA (the International Association of Art Critics) and is currently vice-president of the Ordem dos Arquitectos. In 2006 the President of the Portuguese Republic awarded her the honourary title of Commander of the Ordem do Infante D. Henrique in recognition of her contribution to the dissemination of knowledge about architecture.