Samara Silva Pituco (née Silva) graduated with a Master of Science in Food Quality and Safety from the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB), Portugal. She also holds a Bachelor's degree in Food Engineering from the Federal University of Technology - Paraná (UTFPR), Brazil. Samara's academic journey was enriched by international experiences. Prior to beginning her Bachelor's degree, she was awarded with a full scholarship for a cultural exchange program in San Francisco, California, USA. During her undergraduate studies, she participated in a double diploma degree program that enabled a year-long academic adventure in Portugal, with affiliations to both UTFPR and IPB. She is currently a Research Intern at the Plant Protein Innovation Center, University of Minnesota, USA, and pursuing her PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Porto, Portugal. Her thesis focuses on developing integrative and sustainable approaches to valorize protein fractions from Spirulina biomass as natural emulsifiers and colorants. She is a PhD student member of the Mountain Research Centre (CIMO-SusTEC) and the Laboratory of Separation and Reaction Engineering - Laboratory of Catalysis and Materials (LSRE-LCM/ALiCE). Her main interests include food proteins, alternative proteins, microalgal proteins, protein-stabilised emulsions, protein extraction, microalgae biorefinery, microencapsulation, phycocyanin extraction.