Aminur Rashid is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Marine Biotechnology and Aquaculture at the University of Porto, affiliated with the Aquatic Animal Health group at CIIMAR. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Fisheries and a Master of Science in Aquaculture from Sylhet Agricultural University, Bangladesh. He pursued a second master’s degree in Aquaculture with a major in health management from Ghent University, Belgium. His Ph.D. research focuses on exploring the potential of bioactive compounds from halophyte residual biomass to enhance fish health and disease resistance. His professional motto is to alleviate hunger through aquaculture.

Ana Garcia graduated in Biochemistry at University of Minho, where she persued a Master’s degree in Molecular Biology, Biotechnology and Bioentrepreneuship in Plants. Since 2018, Ana has been a member of A2S team, contributing to several projects. In 2021 she enroled a PhD under the doctoral program Animal Sciences (nutrition), in collaboration with Nord University, in Norway. Ana PhD studies are in the scope of the European project AQUACOMBINE. Her research is focused on exploring the inclusion of halophyte plants into aquafeeds, aiming to improve fish health and aquaculture sustainability, through green and circular economic concepts.

Ana Rocha holds a PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Valencia, Spain. She has completed several postdoctoral stays in Germany (University of Cologne), Spain (Spanish National Research Council), and Sweden (Uppsala University). Currently, she is a researcher on the Aquatic Animal Health team, and her studies focus on developing strategies to improve the health and well-being of fish larvae based on the stimulation of transgenerational immunity and the in ovo administration of immunostimulants.

André is graduated Aquatic Sciences and holds a Master’s degree in Marine Sciences – Marine Resources, by University of Porto. Currently he is a PhD holder for the Animal Science Doctoral Programme from ICBAS – University of Porto. His PhD thesis is focused on immunomodulatory and antibody delivery potential of microalgae supplemented diets, as a strategy to enhance farmed fish health and welfare.

António Afonso is a Professor at various levels of training in the area of Marine Sciences, namely Vertebrate Biology, Ichthyology, Aquaculture and Fish Immunology. He is also a member of the Scientific Committee of the Degree in Sciences of the Aquatic Environment, of the Master in Sciences of the Sea – Marine Resources, and conductor of several disciplines. Prof. António Afonso bases his work on studying the effects that common aquaculture practices have on the fish's innate immune system, through basic and applied research. In addition to the more fundamental aspects mentioned above, Prof. António Afonso has developed innovation projects in aquaculture in partnership with companies dedicated to this branch of activity, where the greatest attention has been related to aquaculture in estuarine and coastal environments.

Bernardo Pereira graduated in Biology from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP) in 2018 and is currently a master’s degree student in Marine Sciences – Marine Resources at ICBAS, University of Porto. He has a background in ornamental fish handling/welfare and sustainable aquaculture (RAS system). His main interests are sustainable aquaculture, animal health and welfare, ethology, ecology and species conservation.

I am a graduate in Biochemisty from FCUP (University of Porto), Msc degree holder in Quality control from FFUP (University of Porto) and a Post-doc in Animal Science from ICBAS (University of Porto). Currently, a research fellow at Animal Health and Aquaculture Group, from CIIMAR. My main research interests to date have been, environmental toxicology and fish sustainable nutrition and health. Currently, I have been focusing in fish immunological status and response and how to improve it, through novel and sustainable fish feed additives focusing on microalgae biotechnology.

Graduated in Marine Biology by the Universidad de Oriente (Venezuela) in 2007, acquired the Master degree in Molecular Biology in 2011 by the University of Los Andes (Venezuela), and the PhD in Agri-food Resources by the University of Cadiz (Spain) in 2019. In brief, I have published until now 17 papers in international peer review journals, with a total of 218 citations, h index 8, and i10 index 7. Currently, my main line of research is focused on the generation of transgenic Chlamydomonas reinhardtii strains that express RNAi, to be used in antiviral and antibacterial therapies applied to aquaculture sector.

Christopher is a PhD student currently affiliated with the Aquatic Health Group at CIIMAR.
He has a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Biology and a Master’s degree in Biodiversity and Biotechnology both from the University of the Azores. After working for almost 3 years as a lab technician for the genetics department of the Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo in São Miguel he decided to persue his PhD in a completely new field of study. His PhD is in the area of animal nutrition and welfare and the theme of the thesis is focused on developing aquafeeds in order to improve stress and disease resistance in Atlantic salmon.

Diogo Peixoto holds a PhD in Animal Science from the Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar – School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS), University of Porto. He is currently a junior researcher with the Aquatic Animal Health team at CIIMAR. Since joining the A2S team in 2018, Diogo has contributed to multiple research projects in the field of nutritional immunology, using model organisms of economic importance to the aquaculture industry. His PhD research explored the immunomodulatory, neuroendocrine, and metabolic effects of dietary amino acid supplementation as a strategy to improve the health and welfare of farmed fish. Diogo is the first author of 10 papers published in international peer-reviewed journals and a co-author of an additional 15. Throughout his career, he has received four awards and honours and has contributed to 22 research projects, including one as principal investigator.

Francisca Silva-Brito, graduated in Biology (2012) from ICBAS-University of Porto, holds a M.Sc degree (2014) in Aquaculture and a Ph.D degree (2021) in Animal Science granted by ICBAS-University of Porto. She is currently working in A2S team in the framework of the project MICROBOOST. Her main research interests are focused on looking for sustainable dietary strategies to improve immunity and stress response of farmed fish.

Francisco Pinto da Cunha graduated in Marine Biology at the University of Algarve in 2020 and holds a Masters in Marine Sciences – Marine Resources, Fisheries and Aquaculture specialization (2023), at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS) of the University of Porto. Right now, his research focuses on fish immunology applied to aquaculture, with a particular interest in improving aquaculture production, fish welfare and health through nutritional approaches and understanding pathogen-fish interactions.

Gonçalo Themudo is a biologist, specialized on data analysis of genetic and epidemiological data. He completed his MSc at the University of Porto (2005), and PhD at the University of Leiden (2010) studying spatial and temporal patterns of genetic diversity of marbled and crested newts.
His first post-doc at the University of Copenhagen and University of Southern Denmark (2009-2012) focused on the spatial spread of infectious diseases in Denmark. In 2012-2013, he studied genetic variability of honeybees in Europe and genomics of non-model organisms using ancient DNA at CIIMAR – University of Porto, in collaboration with the Center for GeoGenetics.
From 2014 to 2017, he worked on uses of second generation DNA sequencing in forensic contexts and on the genetics of mental diseases, at the University of Copenhagen. From 2017 to 2019, he focused on epigenomics and metabolomics of mental disorders at the Mental Health Center Sankt Hans, Capital Region of Denmark. In 2019, he returned to CIIMAR to work on evolutionary biology of vertebrates, in particular aquatic animals. In 2022, he joined Ce3C to study the genomic epidemiology of Mycobacterium bovis. In 2023, he once again returned to CIIMAR, joining the Animal Health and Aquaculture team, under the project IGNITION.

Gregorio Molés is a postdoctoral researcher at CIIMAR. He graduated in Biological Sciences from the University of Murcia, Spain and received his PhD in 2011 in Science and Technology of Animal Production from the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain. He has performed several postdoctoral stays at the Spanish National Research Council (IATS-CSIC and INIA-CSIC) and at the Uppsala University in Sweden. Currently, his research aims at developing new tools and cost-effective technologies based on recombinant antibodies, to enable rapid, real-time and on farm monitoring of fish health and fish performance.

Inês Carvalho graduated in Applied Biology at the University of Minho in 2018, concluded her Master’s degree in Marine Sciences – Marine Resources at the University of Porto in 2020. Currently, she is a PhD student funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). She is enrolled in the Doctoral Programme in Animal Science at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS, Portugal), collaborating with the Aquatic Animal Health team at CIIMAR, Portugal, and CISA-INIA-CSIC, Spain. Her research focuses on the impact of dietary methionine supplementation on fish immune responses, including mucosal immune responses, particularly during inflammation insults.

Inês Ferreira graduated in Marine Biology and Biotechnology by the Polytechnic of Leiria in 2015 and holds a Master degree in Aquaculture granted by the same institute in 2018. She has developed work as research fellow in Cetemares (Marine Sciences R&D, Education, and Knowledge Dissemination Centre) in fish immune status and research field work in the framework of the project BE4AQUAHEALTH (MAR-02.05.01-FEAMP-0013). She is currently a PhD student at CIIMAR funded by FCT (SFRH/BD/147750/2019) in collaboration with IBMC/i3S. Her work is related to the infection mechanisms of Tenacibaculum maritimum, a pathogen with devastating consequences for aquaculture industry.

João Estêvão holds an integrated Master degree (MSc) in Biological Engineering from University of Algarve, Portugal. He worked as an Intern at the Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR, Algarve, Portugal) and at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST, Saudi Arabia). João is currently a PhD student in Animal Science at the Aquatic Animal Health (A2S) team working at the Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR) facilities. His research line is focused on the creation/ identification of molecular tools for a better diagnosis of mollusc diseases and selection of pathogen-resistant families using molecular markers.

With a degree in Marine Biology from the University of Algarve, I am currently working on my Master’s thesis in the Marine Sciences – Marine Resources program at the Abel Salazar Institute of Biomedical Sciences. My goal is to study immunological parameters and stress biomarkers in aquaculture fish. My areas of interest include nutrition-related immunology and sustainable aquaculture.

Marcia Saraiva is graduated in Biotechnology Engineering by the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, holds a master degree in Microbiology by the University of Aveiro, and a PhD in Molecular Biology by the University of Aberdeen (Scotland). She is currently a junior researcher in the A2S team working on the Microboost project. Her research focuses on mechanisms that enable an organism’s adaptation under environmental, physiological, or genetic challenges and how they can be, directly and/or indirectly, used to disrupt pathogenicity.

Helena Barbosa graduated in Aquatic Sciences at the University of Porto in 2018. In 2022, she completed her Master’s degree in Applied Marine Biology at the University of Aveiro, where she studied biochemical markers related to metabolism and oxidative stress in bivalves, from an ecotoxicological perspective. Currently, Helena is a research technician in the Aquatic Animal Health group (A2S).

Mariana Hinzmann is a post-doc researcher at CIIMAR, studying the immunity of aquaculture species. She graduated in Biology from U. Aveiro in 2002 and in 2005 master’s in Advanced Biomolecular Methods. Her research began with microalgae, focusing on toxic species involved in bivalve bioaccumulation processes. In 2016, she obtained her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from U. Porto (bivalve immunology). Since then, she has been working with marine fish and shellfish species, linking algae-based diets and other stressors to immunity and overall health of the animals. She is passionate about science communications and has given lessons and presented outreach materials.

Mariana Vaz is graduated in Marine Biology and Biotechnology (2019), and Master in Aquaculture (2022), by the Escola Superior de Turismo e Tecnologia do Mar, Polytechnic of Leiria. She was a research fellow (MARE – Polytechnic of Leiria) in the BE4AQUAHEALTH project: national screening of aquaculture fish pathologies: a commitment to prevention, and research fellow (MARE – Polytechnic of Leiria) of the LUCTA project – Evaluation of the effect of extracts in sea bass infected with nodavirus. She was a PhD fellowship at CIIMAR in the GRINNAQUA project ” Green innovation strategies for animal health management: towards sustainable aquaculture”, where she studies the role of methionine in the immune defences of fish (Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout) against viral (viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus) and parasitic infections (sea lice). And currently she is a technician on the project VIRALMET “Nutraceutical role of methionine in antiviral responses and vaccination efficiency of trout and sea bass – a look at viperin modulation” at CIIMAR.

Graduated in Marine Biology holds a PhD degree in Animal Sciences granted by ICBAS-University of Porto, she is currently and auxiliary researcher in A2S team. Her main research line is dedicated to the development of nutritional strategies that could enhance fish overall health and vaccination efficiency. Her most recent research has been focus on the study of the multi-action mechanisms of viperin, an antiviral protein and the role of methionine in fish inflammation and antiviral response.

Bachelor’s degree in biology and Geology from the University of Minho and master’s degree in marine sciences – Marine Resources from the Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, University of Porto. I am interested in molecular biology, aquaculture pathogens, and the study of immune responses and host-pathogen interactions.

Paulo Santos holds a master degree in Veterinary Medicine by the University of Porto since 2017 and a master in Marine Biology – Marine Resources at Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar concluded in 2020. He collaborates with the group since 2017, being involved in several projects related with fish immune status and welfare, with special emphasis on the immune response to infectious processes. Paulo is currently developing is PhD focusing on immune enhancement and disease resistance through functional nutrition in early life stages of European seabass and Senegalese sole.

Rita Azeredo is graduated in Aquatic Sciences and holds a PhD degree in Biology granted by the Faculty of Sciences – University of Porto. She is currently an auxiliary researcher in the Aquatic Animal Health team. Her research focus has been to determine immunomodulatory and neuroendocrine effects of amino acids through dietary supplementation in aquafeeds, as a strategy to enhance farmed fish health and welfare. She has a particular interest in tryptophan and the mechanisms through which this amino acid modulates fish brain-gut axis, including neuroendocrine, immune and serotonergic mechanisms.

Biologist graduated from the University of Porto (FCUP) in 2025, currently pursuing an MSc in Marine Sciences – Marine Resources at ICBAS, specializing in Aquaculture and Fisheries. Her interests focus on sustainable aquaculture and animal welfare, aiming to contribute to the responsible development of the field.

Sara Jorge has a bachelor degree in Aquatic Sciences and a master degree in Aquatic Biological Resources. Her current work aims to establish different non-terminal matrices to measure cortisol in zebrafish under acute and chronic stressful situations. Sara has expertise in fish care, animal facility maintenance, fish sampling, histological techniques, performance and analysis of behavioural tasks, anaesthesia administration, molecular biology techniques, determination of fish zootechnical performance, digestive function and formulation and analysis of experimental diets. Her main research interests are animal behavior, anesthesia, fish physiology, nutrition, health, and welfare.

Sergio Fernández Boo graduated in Marine Biology by the University of Santiago de Compostela. During my PhD I have been working in the interaction between the clam Ruditapes spp. and the parasite Perkinsus olseni. After that, I joined the EU Reference Lab for Bivalve Diseases (LRUE/IFREMER) in France. Since 2016, I am working at Aquatic Animal Health group, first as a researcher in the project INSEAFOOD within a postdoc grant and currently I have an Auxiliary research contract from FCT. The main areas of my work are the interaction host/parasites and the search for biomarkers of disease resistance in invertebrates using genomics and proteomics as the main source for biomarker characterization.

Tânia Pereira is a CIIMAR project manager and communicator, with a PhD in environmental and marine sciences by the University of Algarve (2015). Her research background is macroalgae physiology, cultivation and reforestation, improvement of Integrated Multi Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) systems. She also has experience in the science-policy interface.

Tiago Lopes has a BSc in Biology from University of Porto in 2015 and holds a MSc degree in Marine Sciences – Marine resources from ICBAS-UP since 2017. His research for MSc thesis was performed under a joint research between CIIMAR, SPAROS and GIFAS (Altantic salmon farm) and focused on Atlantic salmon immuno-nutrition. He is now employed by GIFAS, Norway, where he will conduct his Industrial PhD together with CIIMAR, Skretting, University of Nordland and Akvaplan Niva. His research focuses on the welfare improvement through immune-nutrition of lumpfish, a species used as biological control of sea lice in Atlantic salmon farming.

Tonka Buha is an Environmental Sciences graduate from the University of Zagreb, Croatia.
Currently, she is a PhD student working on novel health biomarkers and IT tools to assess fish health and welfare within the framework of the IGNITION project.