II
Biotechnology to Build a Brighter Future II
February 28th 2025 9AM (GMT) Online
Food, Health and Environmental Applications
Speakers
Get to know them
Sara Silvério
Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho
Sara Silvério completed her PhD degree in Biological and Chemical Engineering in 2012 at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto. At present, she is an Assistant Researcher at the Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, working in the production and recovery of relevant industrial biomolecules (e.g. enzymes, pigments, biosurfactants), as well as in the biosynthesis and application of prebiotics. She published 48 papers in international peer-reviewed journals and 8 book chapters (h-index 23). She was the PI/Co-PI in three funded projects ("Lignozymes-Metagenomics approach to unravel the potential of lignocellulosic residues towards the discovery of novel enzymes", "FoSynBio-Synthetic biology approaches to design and construct microbial cell factories to produce FOS”, “BioCello-Cello-oligosaccharides: production using novel biocatalysts and evaluation of their prebiotic potential”), and participated as a team member in several research projects. Currently, she is a team member of the project: "B3iS- Biodiversity and Bioprospecting of Biosurfactants in Saline Environments".
André Antunes
Institute of Science and Environment, University of Saint Joseph
André Antunes is an Associate Professor and Dean at the Institute of Science and Environment at the University of Saint Joseph in Macau (China). He has done his undergraduate and PhD at the University of Coimbra (Portugal), with his PhD research work being conducted at the University of Regensburg (Germany). His research career has included periods in several countries in Europe, Africa, and Middle East. Before his current appointment, he had previous faculty positions in Cabo Verde, in the UK, and in Macau (at the State Key Laboratory of Lunar and Planetary Sciences, Macau University of Science and Technology). André Antunes is an expert in Microbiology of extreme environments, having specialized in deep-sea and high salinity locations. His current research focus revolves around microbial biodiversity and bioprospection of unexplored extreme environments. He has extensive experience with international collaborations, having participated as PI and team member of several research projects across the globe and having joined and lead several research expeditions. He has acted as consultant and invited committee member for NASA, ESA, and the ESF, in several projects linked with Astrobiology. Furthermore, he is an elected member of the Communications Committee of the Microbiology Society, as well as Global Ambassador and Chair of the Ocean Sustainability Advisory Group for Applied Microbiology International.
Joana Gomes
Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho
Joana Gomes holds a degree in Biochemistry and a Master’s in Molecular Genetics. She is currently a PhD student in Chemical and Biological Engineering at the Centre of Biological Engineering (University of Minho). Joana previously worked as a Junior Scientist at SilicoLife under the Horizon2020 ShikiFactory100 project and is now involved in the B3iS Project, funded by FCT. Her research expertise includes DNA extraction, microorganism isolation, metagenomic library construction, genetic engineering, and data analysis to identify novel biosurfactants from saline environments through metagenomics.
Joana Sousa
Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho
Joana Sousa is a PhD student in Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Minho, Portugal. Her PhD research focuses on metagenomic strategies to design biocatalysts for the production of cello-oligosaccharides, deepening her knowledge in Metagenomics, Biocatalysis, and Prebiotics. She holds a Master’s degree in Biotechnology (2021) and a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry (2018) from the same institution. Her research experience includes the LIGNOZYMES project, where she explored lignocellulosic residues to identify novel enzymes, and the B3iS project, which focused on biosurfactants in saline/hypersaline environments —both utilizing metagenomic approaches.
Ricardo Franco-Duarte
Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology, University of Minho
Ricardo Franco-Duarte is an Assistant Researcher at CBMA, University of Minho, specializing in yeast omics, bioinformatics, and microbial biotechnology. He holds a PhD in Molecular and Environmental Biology (2014) and has participated in multiple international collaborations and research projects, including 2 European projects (TRANSBIO and VOLATILE). He has published 48 Q1 papers (h-index: 20 Scopus, 24 Google Scholar), 5 book chapters, and has supervised 6 PhD, 17 MSc, and 16 BSc theses. Franco-Duarte is a mentor in IMFAHE (2024-2025), a COST evaluator, and involved in COST Actions CA20127 and CA22134. His work has earned multiple awards, including the 2018 Young Researcher Best CV Prize. His current research blends bioinformatics, genomics and metagenomics to explore microbial diversity and biotechnological applications.
Alexandre Monteiro
Physics Centre of Minho and Porto Universities, University of Minho
José Alexandre Monteiro began his academic journey at the University of Minho, where he studied Optometry and Visual Sciences. During his second year, he joined the "Starter" research initiation group at the Colour Science Laboratory (CSL), where he worked on various research projects. In September 2021, he started his Ph.D. in Optometry and Vision Sciences, funded by FCT, focusing on the application of Artificial Intelligence to Colour Perception. Throughout his academic and professional journey, he has had the opportunity to explore the diverse applications of Artificial Intelligence across different domains.
Ana Pereira
Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho
Ana Catarina Pereira holds a Master’s in Applied Biochemistry and a Bachelor’s in Biochemistryfrom the University of Minho. Since May 2024, she has been a research fellow at the Centre ofBiological Engineering (CEB), earning two research scholarships. As part of the B3iS project, she has contributed to identifying novel biosurfactant producers from saline environments through metagenomic libraries and their preliminary characterization, extraction, and identification.
João Rainha
Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho
João Rainha holds a PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering from the University of Minho. He is currently a research fellow on the Be@t project at the Centre of Biological Engineering, where he applies his expertise in bioprocess engineering. Specializing in synthetic biology, João has advanced expertise in molecular biology techniques, particularly CRISPR-Cas9. His research focuses on constructing heterologous pathways to enable the microbial synthesis of industrially valuable compounds. In addition to his strengths in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering, João has extensive experience in scaling up and optimizing bioprocesses for efficient microbial production.
Renata Oliveira
Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho
Renata Oliveira holds a Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and a Master's degree in Biotechnology from the University of Minho. She has experience in environmental biotechnology, having worked on groundwater bioremediation at a campsite contaminated with mineral oil in Rouen, France. Currently, she is pursuing a PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering at the Centre of Biological Engineering (CEB).
Carla Silva
CITEVE
Carla Silva graduated in Biological Engineering at UMinho in 1996 and started working as a superior technician at CITEVE (Portuguese Technological Centre for the Textile and Clothing Industries), where she had her first close contact with textile research. In 1999 she attained her master’s in industrial biotechnology, at S. Paulo University (USP, Brazil). In 2005, she finished her PhD (UMinho) in Textile Chemistry studying the treatment of wool with modified proteases and continued her research at Minho University on the modification and functionalization of textile fibres. From 2007-2019 she worked as a senior researcher and later as Chief Technology Officer at CeNTI (Centre for Nanotechnology and Smart Materials) and from 2019 she is leading the Chemical and Biotechnological Department at CITEVE.
With more than 20 years of experience in applied and industry-oriented research, 11 patents and more than 80 published papers in peer reviewed journals, she is/has supervised 8 PhD, more than 30 MSc and 10 BSc. She has been responsible for the management and coordination of several national and international R&D projects covering various research topics (ranging from surface engineering, biotechnology, (nano)coatings, processes optimization, sustainability, textile recycling, bio and circular economy and development of innovative nanomaterials, fibres and polymers.
Jorge Pereira
Chemical Engineering and Renewable Resources for Sustainability, University of Coimbra
Jorge F. B. Pereira earned his M.Sc. in Biological Engineering from the University of Minho (Portugal) in 2008 and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Aveiro (Portugal) in 2013. Pereira was postdoctoral fellow at The University of Alabama (USA) from 2013-2014 before joining São Paulo State University (Brazil) as an Assistant Professor (2014-2019). Currently, he is Associate Professor with Habilitation in the Department of Chemical Engineering (DEQ) at the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the University of Coimbra (Portugal), where he teaches across BSc, MSc, and PhD levels. His research has been conducted at the CERES research center, where he served as vice-director (2020-2022) and coordinator of Bioresources and Applied Biosciences Group (since 2023). He is also the sub-director of DEQ and coordinates the MSc in Biotechnology Engineering. Since 2014, Pereira has led the BioPPuL - Bioproducts' Production and Purification Lab, focusing on sustainable and circular (bio)technological strategies. Despite his relative short career as an independent researcher, he has published +125 manuscripts, alongside book chapters and conference proceedings, accumulating more than 4,000 citations and an H-index of 35. His extensive international collaborations (with researchers from Brazil, the UK, the USA, Australia, Spain, and beyond) underscore his global impact. He has supervised multiple Ph.D., MSc, and undergraduate students and led numerous R&D projects, including a Young Researcher Grant from FAPESP and a Project Grant from Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian. His contributions have earned him prestigious recognitions, such as the Mario Quartin Graça Award for the best thesis in Technologies and Natural Sciences and the “Projetos Semente 2022 – UC/Santander” prize for innovative research in sustainable bioprocesses, featured in Emerging Investigators 2017 and Pioneering Investigators 2024 issues of ChemComm (RSC).
Sueli Rodrigues
Department of Food Engineering, Federal University of Ceará
Sueli Rodrigues holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the State University of Campinas (1998), a master’s degree in chemical engineering from the State University of Campinas (2000), and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the State University of Campinas (2003). She is a Full Professor at the Department of Food Engineering at the Federal University of Ceará. He has experience in Food Science and Technology, with an emphasis on Multidisciplinary Agricultural Sciences, working mainly on the following topics: product and process development, use of regional and low-cost raw materials, non-thermal processing and emerging technologies, use of agro-industrial waste, biotechnological processes, enzymatic systems, chromatography, and fruit processing. She has produced over 200 full articles in indexed journals and over 200 communications in conference proceedings (full papers and abstracts). She is a reviewer of several international journals, was a member of the Innovation Chamber of FUNCAP-CE from 2012 to 2018 and a member of the Public Innovation Chamber of FUNCAP-CE since 2019, is a Member of the Coordination of the Postgraduate Course in Food Science and Technology (PPGCTA/UFC), Member of the Technological Innovation Commission of UFC and the Evaluation Commission for Functional Progression of the Center for Agricultural Sciences (CCA/UFC) is Deputy Head of the Department of Agricultural Engineering. Food (2021-2023 biennium). She is an associate editor of the journals Food and Bioprocess Technology (Springer). She maintains partnerships with several national and international institutions, including UFRN, UFS, IFRJ, UFPB, Embrapa, Uminho, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Teagasc (Ireland) and Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT). She supervised more than 50 undergraduate students and 30 master's and 15 doctoral students as main advisor and supervised 11 postdoctoral fellows.
Xanel Vecino
Chemical Engineering Department, University of Vigo
Xanel Vecino holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Vigo, where her research focused on biosurfactants derived from corn steep liquor, resulting in 11 publications and 3 patents, two of which are commercially exploited. She is currently a Ramón y Cajal researcher at the same institution.
A specialist in the production, recovery, and application of biosurfactants from agro-industrial residues, she promotes sustainable solutions within the circular economy. She has led multiple funded projects, including an FCT grant for developing prebiotic cosmetic formulations using biosurfactants from Lactobacillus strains, a JIN-type I+D+i project focused on recovering biosurfactants from corn steep liquor through membrane technology, and several high-impact projects. Among them, a Proof of Concept project, funded by the Galician Innovation Agency (GAIN), that aims to transfer biosurfactant-related technologies to the market.
With 91 publications, 5 patents, and 3,228 citations (h-index 31, Scopus 2025), her work has significantly advanced biosurfactant research. She also serves as Subdirector for Student and Institutional Relations at UVigo and is accredited as an Associate Professor by ANECA.