Aimone Duarte is a Master’s student in Applications in Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto, with a degree in Biotechnology and a particular interest in marine biotechnology. Currently, she is conducting her dissertation at CIIMAR, focusing on the biodiversity and biotechnological potential of cyanobacteria from Cape Verde, with an emphasis on antioxidant compounds. With experience in biotechnology and synthetic biology, she aims to contribute to research in the field of marine biotechnology.

Aldo Barreiro Felpeto is a researcher in the field of plankton ecology. He studied biology (1997-2001) and obtained his PhD at the University of Vigo (Spain) (2001-2007). The PhD focused on ecophysiological interactions between zooplankton and toxic phytoplankton. From 2008-2010, he worked as a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Cornell University (Ithaca, USA) on plankton population dynamics. In 2011, he joined CIIMAR, working on community-scale chemical interactions of cyanobacteria. He developed skills in statistics and dynamic modeling using R software, organized more than 20 editions of courses, and conducted collaborations in other research fields.

Alexandre Campos graduated in Biology (1996) by the University of Aveiro and has a Master’s Degree in Plant Breeding (1999) by the University of Évora. He completed his PhD in Biological Sciences in 2005 at the Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica (ITQB) from University Nova de Lisboa. He is currently Assistant Researcher at CIIMAR (Blue Biotechnology, Environment and Health Laboratory) and his main research interests cover the toxicology and risk assessment of harmful algal blooms. He is particularly interested in the metabolism of biotoxins in bivalve molluscs, water quality assessment and water reuse in agriculture.

Ana Sara Gomes holds a degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences and a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biotechnology applied to Health Sciences from the University of Porto. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow under the project “Sustainable antifouling agents: from grape wastes to the sea with the green chemistry leading the way” of Prof. Marta Correia da Silva (PI).

Ana Sofia Lima completed her degree in Medicinal Biotechnology in 2023, from School of Health Sciences – Polytechnic of Porto (ESS | IPP). Currently, she is a Master’s student in Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Applied to Health, also at the School of Health Sciences of Porto. Her thesis delves into how genomic and proteomic databases can improve identification methods and lead to the discovery of new therapeutic targets for highly infectious viruses such as HIV, Ebola and SARS-CoV-2.

BSc in Applied Biology, University of Minho | MSc Molecular Biology, Biotechnology and Bioentrepreneurship in Plants, University of Minho | Pos-Graduated Quality Control, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto

I initiated my academic path at University of Minho, where I completed my BSc degree in Applied Biology. Having developed particular interest on the medicinal uses of plant bioactive compounds. Thereafter, I enrolled the master course in Molecular Biology, Biotechnology and Bioentrepreneurship in Plants, in University of Minho, where I acquired valuable knowledge on plant molecular biology, plant secondary metabolic pathways, plant tissue culture and engineering, and industrial biotechnology. Having developed great affinity towards understanding plant responses to environmental stress on a genetic basis, I initiated my master thesis on the “Genetic basis of ABA-GA hormonal cross-talk in the control of flowering time in Arabidopsis”, under the supervision of Professor Lucio Conti from the Department of Biosciences of Università degli Studi di Milano part of the ERASMUS+ program. During this project I had the opportunity to improve techniques including in vitro culture, genetics and transcript/protein analyses and also computational/statistics among other molecular and biochemical approaches. Currently I am working on LEGE-CC maintenance, mostly on a molecular level with the identification of strains.

André Silva holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology at Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto. During his internship at Fykia Biotech, he will be dedicated to investigating the potential biostimulant activity of microalgae and cyanobacteria for agricultural purposes.

I completed a degree in Biology at University of Aveiro in 2010. In 2009, I have joined to the Laboratory of Ecotoxicology Genomics and Evolution, nowadays designated as Blue Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology (BBE), to do my academic internship, under the supervision of the Doctor Vitor Vasconcelos (BBE) and Doctor Susana Loureiro (CESAM & Department of Biology, University of Aveiro). In 2012, I completed my master’s degree in Applied Biology, under the same supervision. Currently, I am working as a technician on LEGE-CC giving technical support on the maintenance and development of the collection by isolating and identifying new strains of microalgae and cyanobacteria using molecular tools.

Catarina is a microbiologist with 19 years of experience in microalgae and cyanobacteria biodiversity, harmful algal blooms, food security and environmental health. Holds a PhD in Biology with an MSc in Microbiology and is currently a researcher in the National Shellfish Monitoring System (SNMB) held at the Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA I.P.). Research activities include emerging toxic species and toxins, non-indigenous species, enteric viruses, food traceability and biobanks. National delegate in several international working groups and task force teams of the European Union Reference Laboratories (EURL), International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC/UNESCO).

Clara Cerqueira is a M.Sc. Student of the MSc in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (FCUP) that previously graduated in Biology (FCUP) in 2021. Her MSc project is focused on optimizing plastic-degrading enzymes using data mining tools, molecular models and machine learning models with the goal of finding a sustainable solution for ocean cleanup.

Dora Ferreira has a Bachelor’s Degree in Medicinal Biotechnology, from the School of Health of the Polytechnic Institute of Porto (IPP-ESS) and is currently a student of the Master’s Degree in Applied Microbiology from the Faculty of Biotechnology of the Catholic University of Portugal (UCP-ESB). Her Master’s dissertation is being developed at the Blue Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology group, at CIIMAR, with a BYT+ scholarship. The focus of this work is to apply OSMaC (one strain, many compounds) strategies to yield novel cyanobacterial natural products with biotechnological/pharmaceutical interest.

Eduarda Almeida is currently an PhD student at Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto. She graduated in Biology in 2012 and completed her MSc in Cell and Molecular Biology in 2014, both at Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto. Her main research interests are focused on microbiology, specifically on the search for novel bioactive compounds from extremophile microorganisms.

Fábio Faria has a Bachelor’s degree in Biology-Geology, a Master’s degree in Ecology, and a postgraduate degree in Science Communication. He has collaborated on various scientific outreach projects, particularly in producing content for field guides, educational notebooks, exhibitions, museums, and interpretive panels. He has provided technical and scientific support for environmental education projects and served as a monitor on field trips with children and young people. He is also a scuba diver and has participated in research projects in the field of marine ecology.
Currently, he is responsible for the communication of the Portuguese Blue Biobank.

Filipa Rodrigues earned her degree in Biochemistry and completed her master’s in applied Biochemistry in 2022, at the University of Madeira. Currently, Filipa is a researcher at the Laboratory of Biomaterials, Bioanalysis, and Biotechnology of the University of Madeira/CIIMAR. Her research focuses on the use of exopolysaccharides extracted from microalgae and cyanobacteria to create innovative sustainable coatings. Filipa is committed to developing eco-efficient alternatives that can replace traditional, non-recyclable disposable materials, to promote environmental sustainability and improve food safety.

Since 2021, I have a degree in Biochemistry from the University of Minho, Braga. Currently, I’m a master’s student in “Biochemistry in Health” at the School of Health of the Polytechnic of Porto. I’m developing my master’s thesis project entitled “Neuroprotective effect of cyanobacterial extracts” in the BBE laboratory at CIIMAR.

Flavio Oliveira graduated in Biological Sciences from the Anhanguera University of Bauru (Brazil) in 2015 and Master’s degree in Biology and Water Quality Management by Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto in 2017. Between 2018 and 2023 he was a member of Blue Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology Culture Collection (LEGE-CC). He started the Doctor’s Degree in Marine Biotechnology and Aquaculture in 2022. Main research focus on cyanobacteria diversity, and molecules with biotechnological applications. Participated in more than 5 projects.

Gabriela Alves Moreira has a bachelor’s in medicinal biotechnology from Polytechnic of Porto (2018) and a master’s in molecular genetics from University of Minho (2021). After a bachelor internship at BBE, Gabriela had a scholarship in the BYT Plus Program and did her master’s dissertation in discovery of cyanobacterial natural products with bioactivity in CNP, where she also had a research grant in the HALVERSITY project. Currently, Gabriela is a technician in LEGE-CC, working in the maintenance of the culture collection and molecular identification of new strains, and an invited assistant professor at School of Health from Polytechnic of Porto.

I took my bachelor’s degree at the Universidade de Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, in Genetics and Biotechnology. I have a great interest in the area of microbiology, biotechnology, genetics and biochemistry. I am dedicated and organized, responsible and optimistic. Always ready to accept new challenges, in order to expand knowledge and improve skills.

Graciliana Lopes obtained the European Doctoral Degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Specialty of Phytochemistry and Pharmacognosy in 2014 (Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Portugal/Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany). During her career, she has specialized in the areas of Natural Sciences and Phytochemistry, with focus in Marine Biotechnology. Her work has been devoted to the chemical characterization of marine bioactive extracts, through different chromatographic techniques, and to the evaluation of their biological activities in different cell and cell-free systems, with a special emphasis in the fields of inflammation and oxidative stress.
She has participated in several national and international research projects, devoted to the valorization of marine resources in the biotechnological and pharmaceutical fields, including the joint collaboration project ALCHEMY (POCI-01-0247-FEDER-027578), between the Biotechnology School of the Portuguese Catholic University (ESB-UCP) and the North American Amyris, devoted to the economic valorization of Amyris industrial fermentation coproducts/residues for the development of innovative products for cosmetic applications. She had the opportunity to join international consortiums and work with researchers and companies from Spain, France, England and Ireland, and to supervise PhD and Master Students.
Presently, she is an Assistant Researcher at CIIMAR (CEECIND), and her field of research focus the exploitation of marine bioactive compounds in molecular targets and mediators underlying the inflammatory process, and also their application in cosmetic industry.

Graduated in Biological Sciences (Bachelor’s degree) at the Federal University of Santa Maria (2002-2007). Master’s degree in Botany at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (2007-2009). PhD by the Postgraduate Program in Plant Biodiversity and Environment at the Institute of Botany of São Paulo. Post-doctorate at CIIMAR (2019-2020). Currently works as a researcher in taxonomy of cyanobacteria and microalgae.

Imene HAKEM, PhD Student in the field of biology, speciality: genetic microbial. The domain of work is the elaboration of a collection of microbial strain collected in different site of the north of Algeria, the study of the production of the bioactive compound for a potential application.

Inês Soares graduated in Aquatic Sciences from the Institute of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto in 2017 and is presently a master’s degree student in Marine Sciences – Marine Resources at the same institution. Experienced in science communication, environmental education, animal husbandry and handling. Her main interests are animal welfare, ethology, ecology, and species conservation.

Marine naturalist since a childhood on the intertidal coastline of Vila do Conde. Deep sea and coral research developed at the Azores, where her academic path began. Explorer at deep NE Atlantic Ocean during 16 research cruises. Driven by a main research interest, Octocorallia, using an integrated approach of taxonomy and zoogeography. Collections provide her with samples essential to put the puzzle together.
After more than a decade collecting, cataloguing and teaching curation of a marine invertebrate collection, she defends the value of collections and taxonomy. She is the manager of the Portuguese Blue Biobank, a collection of the future.

Isabel Cunha holds a BSc in Aquatic Sciences (ICBAS-Portugal), a MSc in Marine and Fisheries Sciences (UK), a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (Spain) and various Post-docs in diverse areas such as aquaculture, ecotoxicology and bioactivity of marine natural compounds. She is presently a Post-Doctoral researcher at the CIIMAR-UP, in the Blue Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology group (BBE), researching in the areas of biosensors, marine adhesives with biotechnological application and transcriptomics. She is the author of 34 scientific papers published in international peer reviewed journals and directed various students and foreign research fellows in their thesis and research activities.

Isabel Benta Oliveira holds a BsC in Biology, MSc in Toxicology and Ecotoxicology, and PhD in Biology with specialization in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Biology from the University of Aveiro. Her PhD focused on the PBT criteria evaluation of emerging antifouling-biocides aiming to assess their Ecological Risk. It involved research stays at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Duebendorf, 2012-2015), the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (Oslo, 2011-2012) and the Estación de Ciencias Mariñas de Toralla (Vigo, 2012). After her PhD, she has applied and extended her expertise in other fields such as biomonitoring, aquaculture, ocean acidification and warming and reprotoxic effects of chemicals in the marine environment. She is currently a researcher at BBE and is particularly interested in understanding the fate, effects and risks of promising bioactive natural antifouling substances.

With a degree in Biochemistry (2018) and a master’s in Applied Biochemistry (2022) from the University of Madeira, Ivana is currently pursuing her PhD funded by the FCT, focused on developing bioactive and intelligent food packaging from exopolysaccharides of microalgae and cyanobacteria. This work aims to replace traditional plastic materials with biodegradable options that enhance food quality and safety. Thus, Ivana aspires to promote sustainable practices and tackle urban challenges related to excessive plastic consumption.

Janaína Morone Bavini holds a Master’s degree in Biology and Water Quality Management, by the Faculty of Sciences – University of Porto, in 2018. Her main research interest is focused in cyanobacteria. Now, she has been working as a research technician on an international project. Her research interests are on natural compounds with cosmetics and cosmeceuticals potential, derived from cyanobacteria, and oriented to the areas of photoprotection, antioxidants and cellular regeneration of human skin. Her goal is to work with biotechnology in the line of the future incorporation of cyanobacteria promising extracts in a pharmaceutical formulation directed to skin care.

Marine Biologist (2006, University of the Azores), PhD in Biomedical Sciences (2012, ICBAS-UPorto), Assistant Researcher at CIIMAR (CEEC-Ind) and Invited Assistant Professor at Faculty of Sciences, UPorto.
Her research area places on the interface between environmental health and marine biotechnology with focus on the investigation of biotechnological applications of natural products, and the search for eco-efficient strategies based on new alternative environmentally compatible products.
She has been leading research projects on marine biofouling ecology and on the bioprospection of antifouling compounds of natural origin to the development of new bio-inspired antifouling coatings. Other topic of interest includes the relation and impact of marine environmental health to coastal human populations.

José Carlos Martins graduated in Biology in 2001 and obtained PhD degree in 2011 by Faculty of Sciences of University of Porto. He is currently post-doc researcher at CIIMAR. His research interests focus on ecotoxicology, more specifically on the study of toxicological effects, metabolism and detoxification mechanisms of natural toxins in aquatic organisms. His current research focuses on the analysis of the microbial metabolism of marine phycotoxins in bivalves with commercial interest.

José Diogo Cruz holds a MSc in Industrial and Environmental Biotechnology, from Aveiro University. During that period he worked for the EU project SPLASH in AlgaePARC at Wageningen and Research University, Netherlands. In CIIMAR he started has a research fellow in the Interreg EnhanceMicroAlgae project and cooperated in the curation of LEGE Culture Collection. Currently, he is a PhD student in Marine Biotechnology and Aquaculture Doctoral Program of Faculty of Sciences of University of Porto. His work focus on the development of a cyanobacterial bioprocess for the production of polysaccharides in a partnership with University of Clermont Auvergne in France and a national enterprise. He is also working in the development of the first European algae standards in a cooperation with the Portuguese Institute of Quality (IPQ) and the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) under the action CEN/TC 454 WG 02 – Identification and Detection of algae biomass.

Junior scientist with great interest in microbiology, drug discovery and human health.

I graduated in Biochemistry from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP) and from Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS). Currently, I’m in the 2nd year of my masters degree on Functional Biology and Plant Biotechnology at FCUP, and writing my thesis at the Blue Biotechnology, Environment and Health lab about biostimulant extraction using a green chemistry approach.

PhD Student in the Graduate Program in Biotechnology at the Federal University of São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil. Work on microalgae prospecting to obtain compounds of biotechnological interest, focusing on obtaining biomolecules and secondary metabolites. At CIIMAR, it aims to prospect molecules with anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetes and antisteatosis activity in different extracts of Brazilian freshwater microalgae.

Graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Microbiology in 2009 and a Master’s Degree in 2019, at the Faculty of Biology of the University of Havana, Cuba. Work areas aimed at biological forensic investigations, isolation and characterization of environmental strains of Cryptococcus neoformans in trees, as well as strains of Legionella pneumophila in water samples at facilities, molecular diagnosis and neutralization tests for vaccine candidates Cubans against SARS-Cov2. Currently I’m doctoral student at the Autonomous University of the State of Morelos, Cuernavaca, Mexico. The PhD research topic is focused on the analysis of the pathogenic potential of yeasts isolated from glaciers.

Margarida Silva completed her degree in chemistry in 2018 at the Faculty of Science of University of Porto (FCUP) and her Master’s degree in Health Biochemistry in 2020 at School of Health of the Polytechnic Institute of Porto (ESS|IPP). Currently, Margarida Silva is developing her PhD at University of Vigo in covenant with ESS|IPP at ESS|IPP and CIIMAR, focusing on the bioactive potential of mountain products against Alzheimer’s Disease. She is an invited assistant professor at ESS|IPP.

Maria Paula Gomez graduated in Microbiology and Bioanalysis from the Industrial University of Santander (Colombia) and received her MSc in Biochemistry from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (Mexico). During her education, she acquired knowledge in the fields of molecular biology, microbiology and biochemistry. Currently, she is a PhD student under the doctoral training programme “BIOTOXDoc – Safe food in a world of changing climate” and the PhD programme in Environmental Toxicology and Contamination – University of Porto. Her research focuses on exploring the molecular modulation of biotoxin metabolism and depuration in bivalve molluscs.