João Valente Santos obtained a bachelor's degree in Chemistry and later pursued a master's degree in Biochemistry, specializing in Clinical Biochemistry, both at the University of Aveiro. His bachelor's degree final report focused on characterizing the chemical and microstructural aspects of the fluorescent nanomaterial "Egyptian Blue" (EB) through a multi-analytical approach, mainly employing inorganic chemistry synthesis, theoretical structure-property correlations, computational chemistry, and vibrational spectroscopy techniques. This research was motivated by the potential use of EB-based probes that emit in the NIR region to detect cancer cells more precisely by imaging techniques. For his master's thesis, João investigated how chronic exposure to supraphysiological testosterone levels, as well as the aging process, affects salivary gland remodeling, with a particular emphasis on proteome adaptation. For this purpose, he conducted experiments using salivary glands from rats of different ages exposed or not to exogenous testosterone, in which the experimental techniques employed included sample preparation, protein identification and quantification, western blot, SDS-PAGE and histological analysis, zymography, and MS-based approaches. Combining his background in Chemistry and Biochemistry, João has developed a special interest in laboratory-based research over the years, solidifying his knowledge in various fields and adapt to different environments. He is highly dedicated, resilient, has a strong enthusiasm for constant learning, a cooperative mindset, and is highly motivated to contribute to the progress of the scientific community.