I am currently a Chemical and Biological Engineering PhD student at the University of Minho (UMinho) and concluded my BSc (2022) and MSc (2023) in Chemical and Biological Engineering (UMinho), with several excellence scholarships. My educational background equipped me with solid foundation in theoretical knowledge and practical experience across different areas, including food and environmental biotechnology, bioreactor operation, microbiology, molecular biology, and bioinformatics. Throughout both degrees, I was head of the class, actively participated in several Student Associations and held positions in student representation within the Pedagogical Council of the School of Engineering of UMinho and the Pedagogical Committee of the UMinho’s Academic Senate. These experiences sharpened my skills in responsibility and time management. In 2021, I was a research trainee at the Applied Mycology Group in the Centre of Biological Engineering (CEB) and acquired lab skills at the analysis level (HPLC). In 2021, under a fellowship on the BIOECONORTE project (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000070), I developed my MSc thesis work at CEB, in the Environmental Bioresources and Bioremediation Technology group (Env2B), particularly in the Environmental Biotechnology and the Anaerobic Microbiology laboratories. The project focused on producing methane-oxidizing bacteria biomass for Aquaculture feed, using biogas and moderate pressurized systems. Beyond developing methanotrophic bacterial enrichments, I conducted aerobic batch assays and gained hands-on experience in analytical techniques (GC, UHPLC), operation of bioreactors and molecular biology techniques (such as DNA isolation and 16S rRNA sequencing – Illumina). After successfully defending my thesis (score of 19/20), I continued my research traineeship in the Env2B group until January 2024, developing several methanotrophic enrichments. Over the course, I attended the conference ICBM4, Ciência23 and I presented our work at the "Biotechnology in Food and Environmental Circularity" workshop, with a paper currently under refinement. In 2024, I was a research fellow on the ESSEntial project (PTDC/BII-BTI/1858/2021), at CEB, aiming to produce lactones with a filamentous fungus using different types of bioreactors (STR, Air-lift and pressurized) and strains, collaborating with the Molecular Biology and Fermentation laboratories. My expertise includes operating different bioreactors, Gas and Liquid-state Fermentations, molecular biology techniques, and analytical techniques. I have also developed my critical thinking and problem-solving skills and expertise in data management and analysis. Over the last years, I completed the Open Science Summer School, at UMinho, an Introductory Course on Single-Cell Technology, two Advanced Courses: Science Writing and Communication, and Bioinformatics, at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, and the Young Voices of Science Program from the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation. I am President of the Biological Engineering Alumni Association and was a Collaborator at STOL-Science Through Our Lives. With this science communication group, I have acquired new skills (design, informatics, communication, event organisation), and built BioSpots to display UMinho’s diversity, and I presented a demonstration (“Horta-STOL”) as first author at a national conference. These experiences have enhanced my adaptability, responsibility, cultural awareness, teamwork, multitasking abilities, and ability to work with diverse perspectives. I am currently administrator of the Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory social media. My goal with the PhD is to further expand the research conducted during my MSc and establish a career as a researcher and science communicator.