Ana Maria da Graça Fernandes Vasconcelos (171B-1662-EC3D)

Curriculum Vitae

Ana Maria da Graça Fernandes Vasconcelos

Ana Vasconcelos is a PhD student at Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (CNC-UC). Graduated in Biomedical Sciences in 2018 (BSc, University of Aveiro) and in Cellular and Molecular Biology in 2020 (MSc, University of Coimbra). She conducted her master thesis at CNC-UC, under the supervision of Dr. Dominique Fernandes and Prof. Ana Luísa Carvalho. Her thesis project aimed at investigating the mechanisms elicited by CASPR2 autoantibodies that drive pathogenesis in autoimmune encephalitis. During 2021, she continued to carry out her investigation at the Synapse Biology group (CNC-UC), as a Research Assistant. In parallel, she has been gaining training in the field of visual science communication, particularly in scientific illustration and information design applied to life sciences. She has been undertaking courses and workshops on drawing and digital illustration. Recently, she has been collaborating with the CNC Science Communication Office to develop infographics about CNC research for communicating with the public.

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Identification

Personal identification

Full name: Ana Maria da Graça Fernandes Vasconcelos
Date of birth: 1997/10/07
Gender: Female

Citation names

Vasconcelos, Ana M.
Vasconcelos, Ana

Author identifiers

Ciência ID: 171B-1662-EC3D
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-3168-6274

Telephones

Mobile phone

932133717 (Professional)

Knowledge fields

Medical and Health Sciences - Basic Medicine - Neurosciences
Natural sciences - Biological Sciences - Cell Biology
Natural sciences - Biological Sciences - Molecular Biology

Languages

Language	Speaking	Reading	Writing	Listening
Portuguese (Mother tongue)
English	Proficiency (C2)	Proficiency (C2)	Proficiency (C2)	Proficiency (C2)
Spanish; Castilian	Intermediate (B1)	Intermediate (B1)	Intermediate (B1)	Upper intermediate (B2)

Education

	Degree	Classification
2023/02/06 - 2033/06/22 Ongoing	Técnicas Qualitativas de Investigação Sociológica (Licenciatura em Sociologia) (Outros) Universidade de Coimbra Faculdade de Economia, Portugal
2022/10/07 - 2026 Ongoing	Biologia Experimental e Biomedicina (Doutoramento) Universidade de Coimbra Instituto de Investigação Interdisciplinar, Portugal
2022/09/22 - 2023/01/25 Concluded	Tipografia (Design e Multimédia) (Outros) Universidade de Coimbra Departamento de Engenharia Informática, Portugal
2022/09/26 - 2023/01/03 Concluded	Narrativa Visual (Mestrado e Multimédia) (Outros) Universidade de Coimbra Departamento de Engenharia Informática, Portugal	18
2022/03/03 - 2022/07/21 Concluded	Curso de Desenho de Observação I - Introdução (Outros) Clube de Desenho, Portugal
2021/09/06 - 2021/10/31 Concluded	Curso Illustra Micorscopía (Curso de Ilustração de Microscopia) (Outros) Illustraciencia, Spain
2021/01/26 - 2021/06/04 Concluded	Curso de Formação - Metodologias de Investigação em Ciências da Vida, da Natureza e da Engenharia (Outros) Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal	19
2018/09/10 - 2020/12/30 Concluded	Biologia Celular e Molecular (Mestrado) Universidade de Coimbra Departamento de Ciências da Vida, Portugal "Exploring the pathogenic mechanisms elicited by antibody-mediated loss of Caspr2 in autoimmune synaptic encephalitis" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)	19
2020/07/26 - 2020/10/30 Concluded	Curso de Formação - Curso de Verão da UC "Metodologias de Investigação Científica - Módulo e I&D - "Metodologias Avançadas para o Estudo do Cérebro" (Outros) Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal	17
2015/09/14 - 2018/06/25 Concluded	Ciências Biomédicas (Licenciatura) Major in Molecular Universidade de Aveiro Departamento de Ciências Médicas, Portugal	17

Affiliation

Science

	Category Host institution	Employer
2022/10/01 - Current	Researcher (Research)	Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
	Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
2021/03/15 - 2021/12/31	Research Assistant (Research)	Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Portugal
	Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Portugal

Others

	Category Host institution	Employer
2022/02/01 - Current	Collaboration with CNC Science Communication Office to develop infographics about CNC research	Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Portugal
	Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Portugal
2018/09/10 - 2020/12/10	MSc student at Synapse Biology Lab	Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Portugal
	Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
2019/05 - 2019/06	Laboratory Rotation at Neuronal Circuits and Behavior Lab (CNC-UC)	Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Portugal
	Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
2019/01 - 2019/02	Laboratory Rotation at Synapse Biology Lab (CNC-UC)	Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Portugal
	Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
2017/07 - 2017/07	Summer Science Internship at Microbiology Development Lab	Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal
	Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal

Projects

Grant

	Designation	Funders
2021/03/15 - 2021/12/31	Understanding the pathogenesis in CASPR2-antibody autoimmune synaptic encephalitis PTDC/MED-NEU/29452/2017 Researcher Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal

Other

	Designation	Funders
2021/03/15 - 2021/12/31	BrainHealth2020 - Early Detection, Neuromodulation and Advanced Therapies to Brain Disorders CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-000008 Researcher Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Portugal	European Regional Development Fund

Outputs

Publications

Conference poster

Vasconcelos, Ana; Fernandes, Dominique; Santos, Sandra; Coutinho, Ester; Carvalho, Ana Luisa. "Concentration-dependent effects elicited by CASPR2 autoantibodies in the regulation of AMPA receptor trafficking and synaptic plasticity". Paper presented in Encephalitis Conference 2021, 2021.
Vasconcelos, Ana; Fernandes, Dominique; Santos, Sandra; Coutinho, Ester; Carvalho, Ana Luísa. "Concentration-dependent effects elicited by CASPR2 autoantibodies in the regulation of AMPA receptor trafficking and synaptic plasticity". Paper presented in XVII Meeting of the Portuguese Society for Neuroscience, 2021.
Fernandes, Dominique; Vasconcelos, Ana M.; Santos, Sandra; Coutinho, Ester; Whitt, Jessica L; Beltrão, Nuno; Rondão, Tiago; et al. "Disrupted AMPA receptor function and synaptic plasticity upon genetic- or antibody-mediated loss of autism-related CASPR2". Paper presented in CIBB Annual Meeting, 2019., 2019.
Fernandes, Dominique; Vasconcelos, Ana M.; Santos, Sandra; Coutinho, Ester; Whitt, Jessica L; Beltrão, Nuno; Rondão, Tiago; et al. "CASPR2 autoantibodies disrupt AMPA receptor function". Paper presented in Encephalitis Conference 2019, 2019.

Thesis / Dissertation

"Exploring the pathogenic mechanisms elicited by antibody-mediated loss of Caspr2 in autoimmune synaptic encephalitis". Master, Universidade de Coimbra, 2020. https://eg.uc.pt/handle/10316/93934.

Activities

Oral presentation

	Presentation title	Event name Host (Event location)
2021/12/06	Concentration-dependent effects elicited by CASPR2 autoantibodies in the regulation of AMPA receptor trafficking and synaptic plasticity	Encephalitis Conference 2021 Encephalitis Society (Londres, United Kingdom)

Event participation

	Activity description Type of event	Event name Institution / Organization
2022/02/07 - 2022/02/23	Introduction to information design for life sciences \| 2nd Edition Workshop	Introduction to information design for life sciences Universidade do Porto Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Portugal
2021/12/06 - 2021/12/07	Encephalitis Conference 2021 Conference	Royal College of Physicians, United Kingdom
2021/12/01 - 2021/12/03	XVII Meeting of the Portuguese Society for Neuroscience Conference	Sociedade Portuguesa de Neurociências, Portugal
2021/07/06 - 2021/07/15	Illustration - Introduction to Photoshop Workshop	Nextart Centro de Formação Artística, Portugal
2021/03/06 - 2021/03/27	Desenho I - Introdução Workshop	Desenho I - Introdução Nextart Centro de Formação Artística, Portugal
2021/03/04 - 2021/03/05	Ilustração-Introdução Workshop	Ilustração-Introdução Nextart Centro de Formação Artística, Portugal
2021/01/12 - 2021/02/02	Illustration and Design for Scientists Workshop	Scientific Illustration ANCiB Associação Nacional de Ciências Biomédicas, Portugal
2019/10/17 - 2019/10/28	Functional Neuroanatomy Course Other	Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal

Association member

	Society Organization name	Role
2021/11 - Current	Sociedade Portuguesa de Neurociências (SPN)
2020 - 2021	Associação Nacional de Ciências Biomédicas

Distinctions

Award

2022	Quadro de Mérito da UC 2019/2020 Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
2021	1º lugar Concurso de Ilustração Científica Associação Nacional de Ciências Biomédicas, Portugal

Other distinction

2020	Studenship "Summer Course Scientific Research Methodologies" Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal