Lúcia Nova (LN) holds a BSc in Nutrition Sciences from the Faculty of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Porto (FCNAUP, 2022), and is a certified nutritionist (CP5469N). She is currently pursuing a MSc in Public Health (Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto). Her thesis is being developed in the field of Microbiology and One Health at the Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit (UCIBIO-Porto-Faculty of Pharmacy), within the BacT_Drugs Research Lab (https://www.ucibio.pt/research-groups/lab/bactdrugs). Her technical expertise includes bacterial culturomics and genomics (PCR assays, WGS-DNA extraction), antimicrobial susceptibility testing, antibiosis assays, and data analysis (SPSS/Excel). Her academic and professional journey reflects a growing specialization in food systems, microbiology, and public health, combined with a strong commitment to research and science communication. During her Bachelor’s, LN volunteered in MicroMundo@UPorto, a citizen science and service-learning initiative engaging with school communities to promote microbiology and One Health awareness, particularly regarding antimicrobial resistance. She later represented this project at the Mostra da Universidade do Porto (2021) and at the Fórum Ciência Viva na escola (2025). LN also has experience in community-based interventions. During her BSc internship, she developed and implemented a nutrition project in primary school foodservices in Maia (“Maia Healthy Menu, & your School Lunch’s Super-Powers!). Later, during her Internship for the Portuguese Nutritionists Order, she participated in two research and intervention projects, including “Creche com Sabor e Saúde - C2S” (2023), co-financed by Portugal’s Directorate-General of Health. This project contributed to the development of national guidelines for food supply and preparation in public daycare foodservices. These experiences strengthened her skills in data collection and management, scientific writing, and events organization. She has contributed to four peer-reviewed and indexed publications, including two as first author — a research article (DOI: 10.24875/PJP.23000056) and a systematic review published during her BSc (DOI: 10.1097/j.pbj.0000000000000276) — and two as co-author (DOI: 10.24875/PJP.24000024; 10.21011/apn.2024.3702). She also co-authored an e-book chapter (ISBN: 978-989-35233-5-3) and a national technical report (ISBN: 978-972-98406-2-3). Her scientific engagement includes 14 communications in national (e.g., IJUP, APN) and international (e.g., ESCMID Global) events (10 as first author), with one awarded 2nd place for Best Oral Communication. She continuously complements her training with certified courses, including pedagogical certification (CCP), ISAK Level 1 in anthropometry, scientific illustration, and specialized food science modules at University of Porto. She LN currently serves as an Invited Assistant Professor at FCNAUP (14%), teaching laboratory classes in Basic and Food Microbiology. She is also an external collaborator in the ERASMUS+ project “TecBioFood: Expertise and Technology for Sao Tomé and Príncipe: Bioresources for Food”, actively contributing to activities in education, research, and science communication. Motivated to foster sustainable and health-promoting food systems, LN aims to pursue a long-term academic career in microbiology, public health, and foodservice innovation.