João R. Neves (JRN) is a PhD student in the Doctoral Program in Experimental Biology and Biomedicine at the Institute of Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra. He is conducting his thesis research at the Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT) under the supervision of Dr. Joana Gonçalves (CIBIT), Dr. Jorge Valero (University of Salamanca), and Dr. Miguel Castelo Branco (CIBIT). JRN was awarded an FCT PhD fellowship (2024.00392.BD) to support his studies and his project: "MicroKiss: How Kisspeptin and Microglia Shape the Sex-Typical Neuronal Circuits of Social Behaviour". JRN recently completed his research fellowship at CIBIT in September 2024. He earned his Master’s in Molecular and Translational Neurosciences in October 2023 from the University of Coimbra's Faculty of Medicine, graduating with a final grade of 18. His dissertation, titled The Role of Kisspeptin in Sexual Differentiation of the Developing Brain, was awarded a grade of 20. He previously earned his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from the University of Aveiro in July 2021, with a final grade of 15. His undergraduate research project, Pd2spermin (Spm) Effect on the Lipophilic Metabolome of Mice Brain, received a grade of 17. He has also co-authored an article published in a Q1 journal, presented his work as 1st author with a poster in 3 national and 2 international conferences, and 1 oral communication in an international conference, having received travel grants to all the international conferences. JRN's primary research interest lies in neurodevelopment, particularly in the sexual differentiation of the brain and the role of microglia. He is passionate about using imaging techniques to explore brain architecture and neuronal circuits, employing high-resolution methods such as various microscopy modalities and lower-resolution techniques like magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy. Additionally, he is committed to advancing his knowledge in deep learning and machine learning to improve the reproducibility and objectivity of scientific research. Beyond his research, JRN is deeply invested in knowledge transfer, open science and science communication. He supervised one bachelor’s final project, one master’s thesis, and mentored several master’s students during their laboratory rotations. JRN actively participates in outreach activities, engaging diverse audiences, including children, the general public, and the international scientific community. Recently, he designed the logo and contributed to the development of his lab’s website (www.diverselab-cibit.com).