Luis R. Vieira is a Researcher at the CIIMAR-UP. His scientific activities focus on Ecology and Ecotoxicology, covering several priority topics, including coastal and estuarine ecology, biodiversity, water quality assessment, ecosystems vulnerability, contaminants of emerging concern (e.g. marine litter and microplastics), combined effects of multiple stressors on organisms, climate change impacts, and other pressures on aquatic wildlife. He is also working on the science-policy-society interface, multi-sectoral stakeholder engagement and promoting ocean literacy. Luis R. Vieira is the author of several scientific production indicators in Environmental Sciences, including international books, book chapters and publications in ISI journals.

Luísa Bastos is Principal Researcher at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto. She holds a PhD in Surveying Engineering from the University of Porto. Her research is focused on GNSS based technologies, including the development of low-cost GNSS/MEMS systems, with applications to airborne gravimetry, mobile mapping and coastal and ocean dynamics. She has been involved in the establishment of the RAIA oceanic observatory and is presently interested in the development of multi-sensor marine technologies for sea-level, currents and wave height monitoring.

Luísa M.P. Valente (Ph.D.) is a biologist with over 25 years of research experience in fish nutrition and sustainable aquaculture focusing on: Fish robustness; Environmental impact; Muscle growth and flesh quality; Functional feeds; Circular economy, One Health.

Senior scientist and Full Professor at ICBAS, University of Porto. Director of the Animal Science Doctoral programme. Member of the Directive Board of CIIMAR, coordinator of the Biology, Aquaculture and Seafood Quality thematic line. Member of the Directive Board of B2E- Collaborative Laboratory for the Blue Bioeconomy. Member of the European Aquaculture Society (EAS) having served as board member during 4 years.

Luiz Paulo Pinto Ferreira holds a Master degree in Civil Engineering from the UPorto, a Mastère Spécialisé in Ouvrages Maritimes‎ et Portuaire from ESITC Caen, MBA in Project Management from FRB|Devry Brasil, PMP-PMI certificated and a bachelor degree in Civil Engineering Universidade Federal da Bahia. He is currenlty a PhD student at UPorto – Faculty of Engineering in the fields of hydraulic engineering. He is an experienced project manager having managed and carried out numerous construction projects in Brazil related maritime ports and river dredging and participated in physical modelling of coastal protection structures at Waterbowukundig Laboratorium. His research interests involve climate change adaptation, coastal dynamics, wave structure interaction and wave behaviour in very shallow waters.

PHD candidate at PDEEC-FEUP and CIIMAR-UP with research on European seabass aquaculture, weight dispersion prediction, grading optimization, and ecological footprint reduction.
Master in Computer Science (2014 – UNICAMP – BR) and Electronics Engineer (1982 – POLI-USP – BR). He has more than 40 years of experience in the software industry in software engineering, large project management, software architecture and strategic planning.
Current academic focus on Artificial Intelligence algorithms applied to the natural sciences, with 10 published articles in the areas of cybersecurity, digital forensics, and biomarker identification using machine learning over high-resolution mass spectrometry data, including Zika, COVID -19 and obesity.

Madalena Maria Magalhães Pinto is a retired Full Professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy (FFUP). She was coordinator at two Research Centers (CEQOFFUP and CEQUIMED); and currently is Researcher and Team Leader of the Group of Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry at Interdisciplinary Center for Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), University of Porto, Portugal. Previous roles include Head of the Laboratory of Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry and founder and Director of the Master’s Degree Course in Pharmaceutical Chemistry (FFUP). She was/is PI and member of several Research Projects, author/co-author of 6 patents, more than 260 research papers, 4 books and 14 book chapters. Her research focuses on Medicinal Chemistry, involving total synthesis and molecular modification of pharmacologically active compounds, based on molecular models of plant and marine sources (antifouling, antitumor, anticoagulant and antiplatelet, anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, antimicrobial, multidrug resistance reversal agents, etc.). She has a special interest in synthesis and bioenantioselectivity of chiral compounds, studies of structure-activity-properties relationship and molecular recognition of artificial receptors as new chiral stationary phases for liquid chromatography.

Mafalda Baptista is a postdoctoral researcher working on the microbial ecology of aquatic systems and extreme environments. She got her PhD in Environmental Sciences and Technology from the University of Porto in 2008. Since then she has established a number of collaborations with research institutions, namely the Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnologies, University of California at Santa Barbara, in the USA, the Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, University of Stockholm, in Sweden, and the International Centre for Terrestrial Antarctic Research, University of Waikato, New Zealand

Postdoc researcher at CIIMAR and FCUP (Porto, Portugal), Correia AM is trained as a marine ecologist with a PhD in Biology. She has been dedicated to the study of cetacean occurrence and habitat preferences in the eastern North Atlantic, therefore specializing in cetaceans' ecology and conservation, ecological niche modeling, spatial analysis and marine management and conservation. Ciência ID: D516-4861-D279 | ORCID ID: 0000-0003-4781-6894.

Graduated in Aquatic Science and master’s student in Marine Sciences – Marine Resources at the University of Porto. Is currently developing a dissertation on the topic “Fatores ambientais na variação da epifauna bêntica no estuário do rio Minho ”. The main interests are ecology, conservation and monitoring of fish populations.

Master in Civil Engineering with a specialisation in Hydraulics, Water Resources and Environment from the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, having started my activity in January 2023 at FEUP in a research project. My interests focus on hydrological modelling of extreme events, as well as the assessment of the impact of sediment production and transport in catchments.

Mafalda Montenegro A. C. Miranda obtained a bachelor’s degree in Biology at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP) in 2022. In that same year, she became a student in the Master’s program in Cellular and Molecular Biology at FCUP. Currently, she is working on her dissertation at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR) in the NUTRIMU group, where she is researching the role of probiotics (previously selected) regarding disease resistance in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax).

Mafalda Vieira holds a Bachelor’s in Biology and is currently finishing her Master’s on Ecology and Environment, both from the Faculty of Sciences of University of Porto. Presently working on colonisation processes and development of benthic marine diatom biofilms, particularly in artificial reefs prototypes, under different scenarios. The research focuses on characterizing marine benthic diatoms communities, for their intrinsic environmental importance, as well as obtaining diatom isolates, for characterization and potential future biotechnological applications.

With a degree in management and a master’s degree in business sciences both from the Faculdade de Economia do Porto, she is responsible for the financial management of projects.

Mahmoud is a PhD student and researcher at UPorto FEUP. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Egypt in 2016. In 2021, he got his Master’s degree in coastal engineering where he developed a 2D coastal morphological model on MATLAB. With a keen interest in numerical modeling and the integration of machine learning within coastal engineering, Mahmoud is exploring innovative approaches. In his ongoing doctoral research, he is studying the possibility to use artificial intelligence to surrogate numerical models, aiming for enhanced accuracy and computational efficiency.

Mahmoud Bassyouni, a Senior Bioinformatician, has been recognized for expertise in biomedical sciences and bioinformatics. A bachelor’s degree from Zewail City of Science and Technology and a Master’s in Informatics from Nile University were earned, forming the foundation for specialization in genomic data analysis, pipeline development, and server infrastructure management. Currently, a PhD is being pursued at the University of Porto, alongside work as a research assistant in the iCulture project, focusing on exploring the link between seaweed genotypes and phenotypes using AI and machine learning techniques. Previous experience at MARC for Medical Services and Scientific Research involved contributions to next-generation sequencing and pharmacogenomics projects. Research achievements include publications in Scientific Reports and the Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry, addressing genetic risk factors in metabolic syndromes and protein simulations in computational chemistry. Scholarships, fellowships, and international collaborations have shaped professional growth, while technical expertise in tools like NextFlow and Docker supports the commitment to enhancing bioinformatics and genomics.

Graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Microbiology in 2009 and a Master’s Degree in 2019, at the Faculty of Biology of the University of Havana, Cuba. Work areas aimed at biological forensic investigations, isolation and characterization of environmental strains of Cryptococcus neoformans in trees, as well as strains of Legionella pneumophila in water samples at facilities, molecular diagnosis and neutralization tests for vaccine candidates Cubans against SARS-Cov2. Currently I’m doctoral student at the Autonomous University of the State of Morelos, Cuernavaca, Mexico. The PhD research topic is focused on the analysis of the pathogenic potential of yeasts isolated from glaciers.

Manuel Lopes-Lima is currently the (IUCN/SSC) Coordinator of the Red List Authority on Freshwater Bivalves within the Mollusk Specialist Group. His research interests are related with the global conservation of freshwater mussels including phylogeny, genetic diversity and ecophysiology. He is also an active promoter of international research efforts around this faunistic group.

Manuel F. Meyer is an Environmental Engineer specialized in remote sensing and sustainable water management. He has experience in research projects and investigative internships in Brazil and Portugal. Currently, he is pursuing a master’s degree in Environmental Science and Technology at the University of Porto. His main interests include the use of multispectral imagery for assessing vegetation cover and biomass, nature-based solutions, and wastewater treatment systems. In his master’s thesis, he compares the capability of different sensing equipment to estimate the biomass of C.edulis in the Cávado River estuary.

With a degree in Marine Biology from the University of Algarve, I am currently working on my Master’s thesis in the Marine Sciences – Marine Resources program at the Abel Salazar Institute of Biomedical Sciences. My goal is to study immunological parameters and stress biomarkers in aquaculture fish. My areas of interest include nutrition-related immunology and sustainable aquaculture.

I am a postdoctoral researcher at CIIMAR. I am a biologist, and hold my M.Sc. in Marine Science and Resources, Aquaculture and Fisheries at the University of Porto (2012) and my Ph.D. in Aquaculture at the University of Vigo (2016). During my Ph.D., my studies were oriented toward the diversification of species of interest for aquaculture. I am currently applying genetic tools to explain key aspects of the feeding strategy and diet composition in fish and cephalopods in aquaculture.

Manuel Santos was born in 1990 in Oporto, where he lives, studies and works.
He develops artistic work in the field of scientific illustration, of figurative drawing and of figurative painting.
He concluded the bachelor degree in Drawing, in the Faculty of Fine-Arts of the University of Lisbon, concluded the Masters in Teaching of Visual Arts in the 3º. Cycle of Basic Education and in Secondary Education in the Faculty of Psychology and of Educational Sciences of the University of Porto, and attends the course of Doctorship in Plastic Arts in the Faculty of Fine-Arts of Oporto.

Manuel Seixas is a Master in Biotechnology of Marine Resources at the School of Tourism and Technology of the Sea (ESTM) of the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria (IPLeiria). Currently, he is a PhD Student at CIIMAR focused on the analysis of genome and transcriptome of elasmobranchs.

Graduated in Marine Biology from the University of Joinville, Santa Catarina, Brazil (2010). Master degree in Biology and Ecology of Coastal Systems from the Federal University of Paraná, Brazil (2013). Currently is also a PhD student in Coastal and Oceanic Systems at the Federal University of Paraná, Brazil. The PhD thesis proposal will use several tools (including microchemistry of otoliths) to track several life-history traits of the Atlantic spadefish needed for stock assessment in the southwest Atlantic ocean.

Márcia Martins obtained her BSc in Biochemistry in 2019 at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto and her MSc in Pharmaceutical Chemistry in 2021 at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the same University. She is currently a PhD student at the Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry Group at CIIMAR and is pursuing the discovery of new marine-inspired substance P antagonists as therapeutic agents for common and rare dermatological diseases.

Marcia Saraiva is graduated in Biotechnology Engineering by the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, holds a master degree in Microbiology by the University of Aveiro, and a PhD in Molecular Biology by the University of Aberdeen (Scotland). She is currently a junior researcher in the A2S team working on the Microboost project. Her research focuses on mechanisms that enable an organism’s adaptation under environmental, physiological, or genetic challenges and how they can be, directly and/or indirectly, used to disrupt pathogenicity.

Degree in Biology from University of Porto. Master in Ecology, Environment and Territory from University of Porto. Post-graduation in Scientific Illustration.

Marco Simões has a master’s degree in Marine Resources Biotechnology by the School of Tourism and Maritime Technology-Polytechnic of Leiria. Over the last few years, he has developed research work in the areas of Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering at Cetemares – MARE Polytechnic of Leiria, Peniche. He has used several molecular techniques in research with plants, fish pathogen detection, species identification and search of antibiotic resistance genes in environmental microorganisms, metagenomics, metabarcoding and evolutionary genetics. Currently he is a PhD student.

Marco Sousa graduated in Environmental Health in Escola Superior de Saúde (Politécnico do Porto) in 2019. In 2021, he entered a scholarship in the project OCEAN3R to develop his master Thesis and obtained his Master’s degree in Environmental Contamination and Toxicology by the Abel Salazar Biomedical Sciences Institute (ICBAS) and the Faculty of Sciences (FCUP) of the University of Porto (UP) in 2022. He is currently working on EcoSignal Team, and his research is a continuation of his Master Thesis, which focus on studying estuarine diatoms and Raman spectroscopy applied to diatoms for environmental and taxa diagnosis.

Margarida Fonseca Cardoso is Assistant Professor at the Biomedical School of University of Porto, Portugal (ICBAS), in the scientific areas of biostatistics and epidemiology. PhD in Engineering from the University of Porto, 1998. Since 1996 teaches units of biostatistics and epidemiology to undergraduate degrees in Aquatic Sciences, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, and Bioengineering, and Master and Doctoral Programmes in Marine Sciences, Public Health, Forensic Sciences, Mathematics, etc. She is co-author of several national and international publications in the areas of optimization, epidemiology, public health, and higher education as a result of her collaboration with different research teams.