Nuria Núñez Hierro studied piano and composition at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Córdoba and graduated with honors from a composition master class taught by Elena Mendoza and Iris ter Schiphorst at the Berlin University of Arts (UdK). In addition, Núñez Hierro was awarded scholarships from the Andalusian Government the German Academic Exchange Service and the "La Caixa“ Foundation. In 2014, she is a fellow at the UdK Graduate School for the Arts in Berlin.

Her works have been performed by prestigious contemporary music ensembles such as Ensemble Intercontemporain (FR), Ensemble Ascolta (DE), Studio New Music Ensemble of Moscow (RU), OrbisTrio (CZ), Trio Transmitter (DE), Taller Sonoro (ES) and Liminar Ensemble (MX).

For the world premiere of her orchestral piece Donde se forjan las quimeras (Where the Chimera are forged), Núñez Hierro was nominated for the Young Euro Classic European Composer Award
(Berlin 2012) and was awarded a residency with the Spanish National Youth Orchestra JONDE (2011-2012). Other distinctions include the composition fellowship of the State of Thuringia/Germany (2013), First Prize as well as the audience award for orchestral composition at the 15th Annual Weimarer Frühjahrstage fur zeitgenössische Musik (2014), Third Prize at the Jurgenson Competition ( Moscow 2013), the Spanish Ministry of Culture’s Commissions for Young Composers Award (2011) and First Prize at the Spanish Society of Authors’ International Competition for Young Composers (2007).