I am an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biology, University of Minho, and an integrated member of the Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA), with a research programme centred on the molecular and cellular biology of yeast stress responses, with applications spanning biotechnology, environmental monitoring, and biomedicine. My methodological expertise was shaped by postdoctoral training at Rockefeller University, UCSD, and the Scripps Research Institute, and my work exploits the power of yeast as a genetically tractable model using approaches including chemogenomics, biosensor development, humanized yeast models, and high-throughput screening. A central focus has been the development of yeast-based platforms for hazard assessment of agrochemicals, generating mechanistic data on their modes of action and identifying fungicides as risk factors for synucleinopathies using a validated humanized pipeline. In parallel, I have led work on the valorisation of microbial diversity, including the selection of yeast strains with biotechnologically relevant traits and the characterisation of enzymatic activities with potential for industrial and biomedical application, supported by my coordination of the MICRO-DS high-throughput screening laboratory at CBMA within the PT-OPENSCREEN national infrastructure. These lines share a common methodological core of functional genomics, cell biology, and biochemical characterisation in yeast, and collectively position me to supervise research spanning environmental risk assessment, microbial biotechnology, and enzymatic bioprospection. I have supervised 48 students across all levels, with over 40 completed including 4 PhD theses and 25 master's theses, and have published 47 peer-reviewed papers with an h-index of 22 and over 1500 citations, with one paper recognised in the Faculty of 1000 top 2%. I serve as associate editor at Frontiers in Cell Death and have guest-edited multiple special issues, reflecting sustained engagement with the international research community. I have led and participated in 14 funded projects and maintain active international collaborations with groups across Europe and the USA, reflected in co-authored publications with partners at institutions including the Weizmann Institute, University of Göttingen, and the University of Bordeaux.