She holds a PhD and a MA in International Economics from Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense (France). She has been a Fellow of the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs of the University of Harvard (USA). She also holds a bachellor’s degree in Economics from Universidad del Pacífico (Peru).
Dr. Santa Gadea has conducted research on international trade, regional economic integration in Latin America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, physical integration of South America, Peru-Brazil, Peru-China, Pacific Alliance-Korea, Latin America and Asia-Pacific and Latin America-European Union economic relations, direct investment from Spain in Peru, among others. Her research has led to the publication of several books (as Editor and Co-author), articles, and working papers that have been published in national and international media. She has also been a professor at the Diplomatic Academy of Peru and has taught undergraduate courses and seminars for students from the schools of Economics and Management at UP.
She has worked as advisor to ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defense, Economy and the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of Peru. She is national coordinator of the Initiative for the Integration of the Regional Infrastructure of South America (IIRSA), senior researcher and coordinator of the Institute for European-Latin American Relations (IRELA), Madrid. She has also been an official of the General Secretariat of the Andean Community; executive secretary of the Peruvian Center for International Studies (CEPEI), among others. In addition, she has worked as an international consultant for the IDB, CAF, the Development Bank of Latin America, The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and the Brazilian Center for International Relations (CEBRI).

International trade and investment, regional and global economic integration, South American physical integration, infrastructure and logistics for the international integration, relations with Asia-Pacific, China, Korea, Brazil, Pacific Alliance.