Amalia Pérez-Jiménez graduated in Environmental Sciences (2001) and doctorate (2008) by the University of Granada (UGR, Spain), was postdoctoral researcher in NUTRIMU-Fish Nutrition and Welfare Research Group of CIIMAR for 4 years (2010-2013). Currently, she is a Senior Lecturer at UGR (Spain) and she continues her collaboration with NUTRIMU. She is also the team leader for the research group RNM156-Fish Nutrition and Feeding at UGR. Her research interests focus on diversification and sustainable increase in aquaculture production through nutrition, the evaluation and improvement of animal welfare and the use of natural bioactive compounds to improve both animal and human health.

Ana Couto is an Assistant Researcher at the Fish Nutrition and Welfare research group from CIIMAR. She obtained her degree in Biology from Aveiro University (2004) and her PhD in Biology from Porto University (2014). Ana’s research focus on aquaculture fish nutrition, particularly on the effects of dietary formulations in fish intestinal morphology, digestive physiology, and health. Her research aims at developing sustainable, health-promoting feeds for cultured fish and diagnosis tools for nutritional pathologies and health monitoring. Ana is author of 50+ scientific papers published in international peer-reviewed journals.

António Labela has a Bachelor Degree in Biology in 2021 at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP). Currently he is a masters student in Aquatic Biological Resources at FCUP, working on his dissertation at Nutrimu, which consists in the study of improvements of macroalgae utilization as a valuable ingredient for European seabass aquafeeds

My name is Beatriz de Almeida Leite, I’m 22 years old and I’m from Porto. I graduated in Biology from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto, where I am currently studying for a Master’s degree in Aquatic Biological Resources. From an early age I developed a strong connection to the natural environment, especially aquatic ecosystems and animal life, which motivated my academic choice and my professional aspirations. I consider myself to be a calm, dedicated and empathetic person. I have good teamwork skills, which I have developed over the years, not only in the academic context, but also in my experience as a volunteer and active member of a youth group. In this group, I work as a catechist and animator for young people between the ages of 10 and 17, which has allowed me to grow on a personal level and overcome challenges, particularly with regard to my shyness and reserve in contexts of public exposure. Through this experience, I have learned to communicate better, to organize activities in a collaborative way and to establish a relationship of trust with young people and their guardians. I have a deep passion for animals, especially cats and dogs. I volunteer at an animal shelter, where I had the opportunity to adopt my two cats, to whom I devote much of my time and a9ection. Providing them with a life of quality and a9ection is a priority for me and a way of repaying the trust they place in us. Animal protection and welfare are values that touch me deeply, given their vulnerability and the ease with which they can be neglected or mistreated. In my free time, I like to balance moments of tranquillity with activities that allow me to relax and maintain my physical and emotional well-being. I enjoy walks in the fresh air, going to the movies, meeting up with childhood friends and small getaways to discover new places. These moments are essential for maintaining a balance between academic life, commitments to the youth group and day-to-day responsibiliti

Bruno Silveira is from Vila Nova de Gaia and completed his bachelor’s degree in Biology at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto. Later, he completed his master’s degree in Aquatic Biological Resources also at the same university where he studied the impact of n-3 Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids to mitigate climate change effects in European seabass. Currently, he intends to start a PhD to continue the research on this thematic.

Carolina Castro graduated in Biology in 2009 at Aveiro University and obtained her PhD in 2016 in Biology from the Faculty of Sciences of Porto University. She is currently post-doc researcher at CIIMAR. Her main research interest focus on the nutrition and welfare of marine fish of interest for aquaculture. She is author of 15 scientific publications in international journals.

Catarina Ramos Oliveira graduated in Marine Biology & Biotechnology in 2017 and obtained an MSc degree in 2020 from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto. Since 2021 she is working on her Ph.D. thesis with the main focus on applying solid-fermentation processes to produce bioactive and nutrient-enriched macroalgae as a source of neutral-carbon feedstuff for aquafeeds. Catarina already presented 8 communications in oral/poster format in national and international conferences and has 3 publications in International Scientific Journals (Q1). Her main research interests focus on aquaculture, fish nutrition, and biotechnology.

Diogo Filipe has a bachelor’s in Biology and holds a master’s in Aquatic Biological Resources. Currently he is working on his PhD thesis with the main focus on employing biotechnology tools to improve nutritional qualities of agro-industrial wastes and produce valuable products to be used in aquaculture.

Filipe Coutinho graduated in Biology in 2009 at Aveiro University and obtained his PhD in Biology in 2017 from the Faculty of Sciences of Porto University. He is currently post-doc researcher at CIIMAR. His main research interest is centered in the potential of dietary amino acid supplementation as a strategy to enhance fish growth performance, health and welfare in aquaculture farms.

I hold a bachelor’s degree in Biology at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto and a master’s in Biological Aquatic Resources at the same institution. My main areas of interest are Aquaculture, fish nutrition and alternative feedstuffs.

Helena Fernandes has a degree in Biology and holds a Master degree in Aquatic Biological Resources by Faculty of Sciences of the University of Oporto. She is currently developing her PhD focusing on the development of sustainable feed supplements and feed ingredients aiming its inclusion in diets for aquaculture fish species through reutilization of agro-industrial by-products.

Helena Peres is a Research Nutritionist for the Center of Marine and Environmental Research (CIMAR), at the University of Porto, Portugal, since 2003, and an Invited Associated Professor at the Sciences Faculty, at the University of Porto. Since 2010, she has been invited to collaborate with the post-graduation course, as an Invited Professor at UNESP- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, São Paulo State University, AquaNutri, Botucatu, SP, Brazil. Her domain of specialization is fish nutrition, with particular interest to amino acids/protein and energy metabolism; nutritional strategies for reducing environmental impact of aquaculture; nutritional strategies to modulate wellbeing, stress and infection resistance, and Integrated Multi Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA).

Inês Guerreiro graduated in Marine Biology in 2006 and finished a master in Aquaculture and Fisheries in 2009 both at University of Algarve. In 2016 obtained a PhD degree in Biology by Faculty of Sciences of University of Porto. Inês is currently a post-doc researcher at CIIMAR. Presently, her research interests are in fish nutrition, namely the potential of dietary carbohydrates as energy source, the use of functional ingredients (prebiotics, probiotics) in order to improve fish rearing and welfare, alternative ingredients to decrease the use of fishmeal, and the mechanisms involved in the regulation of fish appetite.

Joana Oliveira studied Applied Biology at University of Minho and later, following her love for the sea and the aquatic animals, she obtained her master’s degree in Marine Sciences – Marine Resources at ICBAS, University of Porto. Currently she is a Biology PhD student at FCUP and her studies focus on finding new health and welfare biomarkers in meagre (Argyrosomus regius) and in the development of new functional diets for this fish model that will allow for the improvement of its production.

Joana I. Sousa has a degree in Biology and Geology by University of Aveiro (2021). She’s currently a master’s student in Biology and Water Quality Management at Faculty of Sciences of University of Porto (FCUP) and is doing an internship at NUTRIMU group with the objective of studying Novel grape functional extracts to prevent antibiotic use in European seabass aquaculture.

João Paulo Silva holds a Bachelor’s in Biology from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto and is currently in the second year of his MSc in Aquatic Biological Resources, at the same faculty. He is currently developing his master thesis, called “Cyanobacteria as a novel green route for maximizing the utilization of insect meals as feed ingredient for fish in Aquaculture”.

Lúcia Vieira graduated in Aquatic Sciences in 2019 and obtained her Msc in Aquatic Biological Resources, from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto in 2022. Currently, she is working on her PhD, aiming to valorize agro-industrial by-products through novel biotechnological approaches to increase fish growth performance, and to control aquaculture diseases. Her main interest topics are aquaculture, fish nutrition and immunology, and biotechnology.

Mafalda Montenegro A. C. Miranda obtained a bachelor’s degree in Biology at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP) in 2022. In that same year, she became a student in the Master’s program in Cellular and Molecular Biology at FCUP. Currently, she is working on her dissertation at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR) in the NUTRIMU group, where she is researching the role of probiotics (previously selected) regarding disease resistance in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax).

Maria José Saavedra works at the Veterinary Sciences Department – Medical Microbiology, University Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro. Her main research activities have been dedicated to the characterization of antibiotic resistance mechanisms, with a special focus on beta-lactams and horizontal gene transfer, in bacteria and microbial communities from different origins, including humans, animals, food and water. Also, her molecular epidemiology and phylogenetic studies to characterize the genetic lineages of antibiotic resistant bacteria, in particular within the genus Aeromonas, puts her work in line with the One Health concept that acknowledges the interdependence of human, animal and environmental health.

Marine biologist with a master’s degree in Animal Production with emphasis on Aquaculture from UNAL (Colombia). Currently a PhD student in the NUTRIMU group at CIIMAR. Research focuses on fish nutrition and physiology, viewing aquaculture as a tool for sustainability, species conservation, and food security

Paolo Guttuso graduated in marine Biology in 2013 and completed his master in marine Ecology at the University of Palermo, Italy. After he gained experience in the field of aquaculture through international experience doing an internship at the University of Hong Kong, China and as research assistant at the Oceanic Observatory of Madeira, Portugal. Currently, he is carrying out his Phd exploring the nutritional effects of dietary Non-Starch Polysaccharides on microbiota modulation and appetite regulation in aquaculture fish.

Patricia Díaz-Rosales graduated in Biology (2000) and doctorate (2006) by the University of Malaga (Spain). She has been postdoctoral researcher in different internationally recognized research groups: Scottish Fish Immunology Research Centre (University of Aberdeen; UK) (2006-2010), Marine Research Institute (CSIC; Vigo, Spain) (2010-2013), CIIMAR (Porto, Portugal) (2013-2017), Animal Health Research Centre (CISA-INIA; Madrid, Spain) (2017-present). Improvement of cultured fish production is the goal of her research, focusing on fish immune response, investigating methods to improve it, getting fish able to cope with infections. She is currently tenured scientist at CISA where her research is focused on fish mucosal immunology.

Paula Enes is Auxiliary Professor at the Faculty of Sciences of University of Porto and a Research Nutritionist at CIIMAR in the Fish Nutrition & Welfare Group. She is Associate Editor in Frontiers in Physiology and Fishes Journals. She has 20 years of research in fish nutrition, physiology and immunology, establishing strong links between research, industry and entrepreneurship. Her main research topics include physiological and metabolic utilization of dietary carbohydrates; hormonal regulation of glucose metabolism; use of prebiotics and probiotics to improve alternative ingredients digestibility; oxidative stress and immune status; nutritional strategies for improving fish health and welfare.

Pedro M. Lages completed his Bachelor's degree in Aquatic Sciences at Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS) in 2021.
Currently, he is a Master's student in Biological Aquatic Resources at Faculdade de Ciências (FCUP). His project is based on the inclusion of probiotics to improve feedstuff utilization and fish gastrointestinal health. 

Rui Magalhães has a degree in Aquatic Sciences by Abel Salazar Biomedical Sciences Institute and a master degree in Aquatic Biological Resources by Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto. In 2014 worked as a researcher in food and biotechnology in Wedotech company.  From 2015 until 2017 had two research grants in CIIMAR and starts his PhD in 2017-2018 in NUTRIMU group under the supervision of professor Aires Oliva-Teles and Drª Helena Peres. He participated in 3 research projects and published 5 scientific pappers until now.

Rui Lima holds a BSc in Biochemistry and is currently pursuing a MSc in Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Porto. He completed his bachelor’s internship at I3S, focusing on host immune responses to Neospora caninum, gaining hands-on experience in cell culture, transcriptomic, and biochemical analysis. His current work in CIIMAR focuses on the potential effects of vitamins as stress mitigators in European sea bass reared under stressful conditions.

In 2024, I graduated with a degree in Biology from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto. That same year, I enrolled in the Master’s program in Aquatic Biological Resources. Marine biology has always sparked my interest, and throughout my academic journey, this passion has expanded to include aquaculture and animal nutrition, fields I now study with equal enthusiasm. During the 2025/2026 academic year, I will carry out my thesis at the Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR) within the NUTRIMU group, where I will investigate the effects of probiotics on the gut health of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata).

Tássia Estevão-Rodrigues graduated in Fishing Engineer (UFRPE-BR) (2013), and mastered in Fishing Sciences in the Tropics (UFAM-BR) (2016). She is currently a PhD student in biology at UP-FCUP with research focused on the development of new ingredients at AQUAFEED from the valorization of agro-industrial by-products, through the bioprocess of Fermentation in the Solid State.