I am Rodrigo Barriga, currently pursuing a PhD in the Computational Medicinal Chemistry Lab (Rita Guedes’ Lab) at the Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lisbon. My academic journey began at the Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon (FCUL), where I earned my bachelor's degree in Biochemistry in 2020, graduating as one of the top students in my class. During my studies, I was awarded the prestigious “Gulbenkian Mais” grant from the Gulbenkian Foundation, which supported me throughout both my bachelor's and master's degrees. I pursued a master’s degree in Biochemistry for Health at the NOVA School of Science and Technology and ITQB, where I developed my master’s thesis in Manuel Melo’s Multiscale Modeling Lab, entitled “Simulating Substrate Binding Sites in S. aureus Type II NADH Dehydrogenase (NDH-2).” Throughout my academic career, I have actively participated in national and international conferences, presenting my work at various prestigious events. I have received multiple academic merit awards and achieved significant accomplishments, including ranking 19th out of over 100 participants in the national Olimpíadas da Bioquímica (2019–2020), and earning a silver medal in the international iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) competition in 2021. I have also been involved in various organizing committees for conferences and have contributed to several LGBTQ+ associations, reflecting my passion for advocacy and community involvement. In terms of technical skills, I would say I am an intermediate-level Python programmer, know how to use GROMACS for molecular dynamics simulations, have some skills in Chemioinformatics, and know how to use several software tools for macromolecular visualization (such as PyMOL, VMD, ChimeraX). Additionally, I am fluent in English and possess strong communication skills. On a personal level, I am highly committed, proactive, motivated, and curious. In my free time, I enjoy listening to music, binge-watching series, and spending time with my three dogs. Currently, I am conducting my PhD research at Rita Guedes’ Lab, focusing on the “Discovery of multi-targeting small-molecule agents targeting TIGIT and PD-L1 checkpoint pathways”. I have already mentored 3 bachelor's students and I am now mentoring a master's student. My work aims to identify a dual inhibitor of these immune checkpoints to develop novel cancer therapies. https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodrigo-barriga-alves-3332201a5/