PATRÍCIA ANDREIA ATAÍDE FERNANDES (B117-FA00-3053)

Curriculum Vitae

PATRÍCIA ANDREIA ATAÍDE FERNANDES

Patrícia Andreia Ataíde Fernandes is pursuing a master degree in Molecular Genetics, finishing her fisrt curricular year with a classification of 18,60 (out of 20). Has completed her bachelor degree in Biochemistry in 2022 by Universidade do Minho (graded 18/20). Until the end of 2024, she is working on her master thesis entitled "Fungi and Nutrition: a Molecular and Cellular Biology Approach", under the supervision of Prof. Sandra Paiva and Post-Doc Cláudia Barata-Antunes. During those months, she will be studying molecular pathways and key players involved in the regulation and trafficking of specific proteins in metabolic adaptation of different fungi, such as Candida albicans, to uncommon carbon sources (eg. carboxylic acids) in different conditions, such as disease context. So far, she is acquiring extensive expertise and knowledge in diverse advanced approaches within the fields of Microbiology, Cellular and Molecular Biology, including proficiency in genetic manipulation techniques, such as gene fusion via the CRISPR-Cas9 system, as well as fluorescence microscopy methodologies. Moreover, she is working with bioinformatic tools, such as pydna, to generate documentation regarding cloning strategies and molecular biology techniques, including PCR's or genetic recombinations. Her work has resulted in 2 scientific communications as a co-author and 2 as a first author in national and international conferences. Also, in 2022 she was a selected mentee in the EIPODs inspire programme, EMBL Heidelberg, Germany, which offered the opportunity to receive a mentorship from an EMBL Interdisciplinary Postdoc (Kai Fenzl, ORCID: 0000-0001-8097-7740), and to attend the EMBL PhD Symposium ¿The Spectra of Life¿ (7-9th December 2022), where she was able to contact with cutting-edge life science research, trends, hot topics or possible resources for exploration. During 2021, she was a 2-month intern in the Laboratory of Molecular Biotechnology under supervision of Prof. Pedro Santos, Post-Doc Pedro Soares-Castro and PhD student Filipa Soares. During this project, she explored flagellar protein expression via chemotaxis analysis in ancestral Pseudomonas sp. M1 and ß-myrcene-adapted isolates and developed a method to assess promoter activity of flagellar protein genes, characterizing their role in Pseudomonas sp. M1 adaptation to monoterpenes as sole carbon source. This internship led her to do her bachelor thesis in 2022 in the same project with a final grade of 19 out of 20.

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Identification

Personal identification

Full name: PATRÍCIA ANDREIA ATAÍDE FERNANDES

Citation names

Ataíde, Patrícia

Author identifiers

Ciência ID: B117-FA00-3053
ORCID iD: 0009-0008-4347-2063

Knowledge fields

Natural sciences - Biological Sciences - Molecular Biology
Natural sciences - Biological Sciences - Cell Biology
Natural sciences - Biological Sciences - Microbiology
Natural sciences - Biological Sciences - Genetics and Heredity
Exact Sciences - Computer and Information Sciences - Bioinformatics

Languages

Language	Speaking	Reading	Writing	Listening	Peer-review
Portuguese (Mother tongue)
English	Proficiency (C2)	Proficiency (C2)	Proficiency (C2)	Proficiency (C2)	Proficiency (C2)
Spanish; Castilian	Upper intermediate (B2)	Proficiency (C2)	Upper intermediate (B2)	Advanced (C1)	Upper intermediate (B2)

Education

	Degree	Classification
2022/09 - 2024/12 Concluded	Molecular Genetics (Mestrado) Universidade do Minho Centro de Biologia Molecular e Ambiental, Portugal Universidade do Minho Departamento de Biologia, Portugal "Fungi and Nutrition: a molecular and cellular biology approach" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)	19/20
2019/09 - 2022/07 Concluded	Biochemistry (Licenciatura) Universidade do Minho, Portugal "Expression of flagelar proteins in Pseudomonas" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)	18/20

Projects

Contract

	Designation	Funders
2023/11/01 - 2025/05/31	MetaFungal-Metabolism of carboxylic acids in Fungal Infections PTDC/BIA-MIC/5246/2020 10.54499/PTDC/BIA-MIC/5246/2020 Master Student Fellow Universidade do Minho Centro de Biologia Molecular e Ambiental, Portugal Universidade do Minho, Portugal Universidade do Minho Escola de Ciências, Portugal	Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia Ongoing

Outputs

Publications

Conference poster

Ataíde, P.; Ghasemi, F.; Barata-Antunes, C.; Gomes-Gonçalves, A.; Alves, R.; Casal, M.; Brown, A.; et al. "Exploring Ato6 subcellular dynamics in Candida albicans". Paper presented in II CBMA Open Day & III PhD | Bio Symposium, 2025.
Ghasemi, F; Barata-Antunes C ; Ataíde P; Alves J; Soares-Silva I; Alves R; Gomes-Gonçalves A; et al. "Differential affinity and expression patterns among Candida albicans Ato family members". Paper presented in I CBMA Open Day & II PhD|Bio Symposium, February 02, 2024, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal, 2024.
Ataíde P; Ghasemi F; Barata-Antunes C; Gomes-Gonçalves A; Alves R; Casal M; Brown A; et al. "Fungi and Nutrition: Expression and Subcellular Localization Patters of Ato2 Transport Protein of Candida albicans". Paper presented in UMinho Research & Innovation Open Days, January 30-31, 2024; University of Minho, Braga, Portugal, 2024.
Ghasemi F; Barata-Antunes C; Ataíde P; Alves J; Soares-Silva I(3117-6CFC-94A8); Alves R; Gomes-Gonçalves A; et al. Corresponding author: Ghasemi F. "Candida albicans Acetate transporter orthologues (ATOs): docking and expression studies". Paper presented in UMinho Research & Innovation Open Days, January 30-31, 2024; University of Minho, Braga, Portugal,, 2024.

Thesis / Dissertation

"Fungi and Nutrition: a Molecular and Cellular Biology Approach". Master, Universidade do Minho, 2024.

Activities

Oral presentation

	Presentation title	Event name Host (Event location)
2024/09/27	The Importance of Carboxylic Acids Utilization in Fungal Infections	Meeting on Translated Science between Clinical Practice and Fundamental Research in Fungal Infections Hospital de Braga (Braga, Portugal)
2024/09/21	Characterizing Ato2 proteins: Expression profiles and Subcellular Dynamics in Candida albicans	XXII Jornadas de Biologia de Leveduras Professor Nicolau van Uden University of Coimbra; Centre for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (Curia, Aveiro, Portugal)
2024/09/21	Unveiling the Crucial Role of Nutrient Transporters in Candida albicans Pathogenesis (by Faezeh Ghasemi)	XXII Jornadas de Biologia de Leveduras Professor Nicolau van Uden University of Coimbra; Centre for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (Curia, Aveiro, Portugal)
2024/08/28	Acetate uptake transporter (AceTr) family members of Candida albicans govern colonisation in the dysbiotic gut (presented by Prof. Sandra Paiva)	39th Small Meeting on Yeast Transport and Energetics (SMYTE) meeting (28th August 2024 – 1st September 2024) University of York (York, United Kingdom)
2024/07/10	Transcriptomic response of Candida albicans to the presence of alternative carbon sources	MetaFungal Interface Science Workshop: Global Challenges in Fungal Infections University of Minho (Braga, Portugal)
2024/03/15	Plugging the holes: an intuitive software tool for reproducibility in Molecular Biology	Bioinformatics Open Days XIII Edition University of Minho (Braga, Portugal)

Event organisation

	Event name Type of event (Role)	Institution / Organization
2024/09/27 - 2024/09/27	European Researcher's Night. Participation in the organization of the activity "Emerging Fungal Infections and Global Warming" in European Researcher’s Night – Science for Glogal Challenges 24’ (2024/09/27) Exhibition (Member of the Organising Committee)	Universidade do Minho Centro de Biologia Molecular e Ambiental, Portugal Universidade do Minho, Portugal Universidade do Minho Escola de Ciências, Portugal
2022/09/22 - 2022/09/25	Science and Technology Week. Participation in welcoming and guiding young visitors from schools in the "De Portas Abertas à Ciência e Tecnologia" activity, which covered laboratory activities in the Department of Biology, School of Sciences, University of Minho. (2022/09/22) Other (Other)	Universidade do Minho Departamento de Biologia, Portugal

Event participation

	Activity description Type of event	Event name Institution / Organization
2024/09/20 - 2024/09/21	XXII Jornadas de Biologia de Leveduras Professor Nicolau Van Uden Conference	XXII Jornadas de Biologia de Leveduras Professor Nicolau van Uden Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Inovação em Biomedicina e Biotecnologia, Portugal
2024/03/14 - 2024/03/16	Bioinformatics Open Days XIII Edition Conference	Bioinformatics Open Days XIII Edition Universidade do Minho, Portugal
2024/02/02 - 2024/02/02	I CBMA Open Day & II PhD Bio Symposium Conference	Universidade do Minho Centro de Biologia Molecular e Ambiental, Portugal
2023/10/19 - 2023/10/20	IV International meeting of the Portuguese Society of Genetics Meeting	IV International meeting of the Portuguese Society of Genetics Universidade do Minho, Portugal
2023/07/11 - 2023/07/13	This meeting centered on the exploration of cellular membrane dynamics across various organisms, spanning from mammals to fungi. Key topics of discussion included organelle dynamics, membrane trafficking, membrane contact sites, lipid homeostasis, super-resolution imaging, and cryo-electron microscopy techniques. Meeting	CellMed. Meeting in Cellular Membrane Dynamics Universidade do Minho Centro de Biologia Molecular e Ambiental, Portugal Universidade do Minho, Portugal International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, Portugal
2023/05/18 - 2023/05/18	The central role of H2A ubiquitination in synovial sarcoma. Seminar by Nezha Benabdallah, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at German Cancer Research Center: The Fragile Nucleosome Seminar Series Seminar	Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Germany
2023/02/23 - 2023/02/23	Ribonucleases as targets to fight Coronavirus. By Ana Margarida Saramago, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Chemical and Biological Technology Institute António Xavier (ITQB NOVA) Seminar	Sociedade Portuguesa de Genética, Portugal
2022/12/09 - 2022/12/09	During this workshop, attendees visited the Bio-imaging facilities and gained insights into advanced microscopy techniques. Workshop	Visiting the EMBL Image Centre – Euro Bio-Imaging EMBL Heidelberg Genome Biology, Germany
2022/12/09 - 2022/12/09	During this workshop, we toured the genomics facilities and familiarized ourselves with cutting-edge sequencing technologies, including Nanopore Oxford and Illumina platforms. Workshop	EMBL tour – Genomics facilities EMBL Heidelberg Genomics Core Facility, Germany
2022/12/07 - 2022/12/09	EMBL Heidelberg hosts an event that draws together young researchers from various scientific institutes, primarily graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. They convene to engage in multidisciplinary lectures delivered by esteemed speakers, exchange their research findings through poster sessions and panel discussions, and foster valuable networking opportunities. The interaction between aspiring scholars and seasoned scientists consistently stands out as a key highlight of the occasion. Symposium	24th EMBL PhD Symposium - The spectra of life: dimensional breadth in biological research EMBL Heidelberg Genome Biology, Germany
2022/11/11 - 2022/11/11	The stress response factor Atf4 in adipose tissue acts as a systemic regulator of reproduction. By Lydia Grmai, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Pittsburgh: SDB Ethel Browne Harvey Postdoctoral Seminar Series Seminar	University of Pittsburgh, United States
2022/09/07 - 2022/09/07	Epigenomic programming of brain sex differences. By Bruno Gegenhuber, Researcher at the Harvard Medical School, Harvard University: The Fragile Nucleosome Seminar Series Seminar	Harvard Medical School, United States
2022/04/29 - 2022/04/29	Magnetic Resonance Imaging Workshop: from atoms to images of the brain. In this workshop we studied the principles underlying the Magnetic Resonance Imaging and analyzed brain images from clinical case studies. By Tiago Gil Oliveira, researcher, assistant professor at the School of Medicine, University of Minho, and Neuroradiologist at Hospital de Braga Workshop	Universidade do Minho, Portugal
2022/04/26 - 2022/04/29	4th Edition of Science Days Symposium	4th Edition of Science Days Universidade do Minho Centro de Biologia Molecular e Ambiental, Portugal
2021/04/10 - 2021/04/10	Drug discovery and development: 100 meters race or marathon with relays? In this workshop we analyzed all the phases in drug discovery and development and the association with industry. Workshop prepared by Maria Alice Carvalho, researcher and assistant professor at the Department of Chemistry, University of Minho Workshop	Universidade do Minho, Portugal
2021/04/08 - 2021/04/10	3rd Edition of Science Days Symposium	3rd Edition of Science Days Universidade do Minho Centro de Biologia Molecular e Ambiental, Portugal
2021/04/09 - 2021/04/09	CRISPR-Cas: the brave new world of gene editing. By Mariana Sottomayor, biologist, researcher and assistant professor at the Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto. Seminar	Universidade do Minho, Portugal

Course / Discipline taught

	Academic session	Degree Subject (Type)	Institution / Organization
2023/07/03 - 2023/07/14	The program contents of this course were aimed at covering various aspects of the research process based on the scientific method. It was also intended for students to become acquainted with different research realities and topics, enabling them to develop a more refined judgment when defining their particular research projects. Lastly, but equally important, the program contents were geared towards empowering students to conduct research within a scientific context. Final classification: 20/20	Degradation and Trafficking of Proteins in Health and Disease	Universidade do Minho, Portugal International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, Portugal
2023/06/19 - 2023/06/30	In this course, genomic-scale study approaches were emphasized within the realms of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, as well as the utilization of Bioinformatics tools. Specifically, the concepts and applications of next-generation DNA sequencing technologies are addressed and explored in depth. Additionally, methodologies based on Bioinformatics tools are introduced and elaborated upon in this course. Final Classification: 19/20	Advances on Microbial Genetics and Bioinformatics	Universidade do Minho, Portugal
2023/04/24 - 2023/05/05	In this advanced course we applied the central concepts of metabolic control analysis, such as control coefficients, elasticities, and the summation theorem and converted cloning and homologous recombination strategies into pydna using the software language Python. Final classification: 20/20	Metabolic Engineering (Outros)	Universidade do Minho, Portugal
2023/04/17 - 2023/04/21	Advanced Course on Proteomics Approaches in Life Sciences included in the Doctoral Program in Experimental Biology and Biomedicine at the Center for Neuroscience and Cellular Biology, at the University of Coimbra. This course covered themes such as sample collection, preparation and analysis, untargeted proteomics screening for biomarker discovery, and proteomics approaches to study host-pathogen interactions. Final classification: 16/20.	Proteomics Approaches in Life Sciences	Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal Universidade de Coimbra Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Portugal

Distinctions

Award

2024	Prize for Best Poster Communication presented at the I CBMA Open Day & II PhD\|Bio Symposium 2 February 2024. Braga, Portugal (by Faezeh Ghasemi)
2024	Prize for Best Oral Communication awarded by University of Minho at the Bioinformatics Open Days Conference (XIII Edition) 14-16 March 2024, Braga, Portugal

Other distinction

2024	Erasmus+ Mobility grant Universidade do Minho, Portugal Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Departement Biologie, Belgium
2022	Selected mentee in EIPODs inspire programme European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Germany