Harold Cantallo is a technician in the Benthic Ecology Team at COAST Project. He finished his bachelor’s in Aquatic Sciences in 2019 at ICBAS-UP and his master’s in Applied Marine Biology in 2021 at Universidade de Aveiro. His main research interest is macroinvertebrate taxonomy and climate change. Which includes evaluating the diversity of invertebrates associated with intertidal and subtidal benthic habitats. Alternatively on how climate change impacts these species and their interactions, with a particular interest in marine gastropods. In the COAST project classifies marine habitats around the island of Santo Antão and aims to assess their vulnerability.

Helder Sousa is a student of the Master of Forensic Sciences (Forensic Laboratory Sciences) at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP) and graduated in Biology in the year 2021 at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP). Currently carrying out the master’s thesis entitled “Detection of New Psychoactive Substances and Classic Drugs in Prisons and Effects on Aquatic Organisms”.

Helena Fernandes has a degree in Biology and holds a Master degree in Aquatic Biological Resources by Faculty of Sciences of the University of Oporto. She is currently developing her PhD focusing on the development of sustainable feed supplements and feed ingredients aiming its inclusion in diets for aquaculture fish species through reutilization of agro-industrial by-products.

Oceanology is from the University of Bordeaux I (1984), and the phD in Sedimentology and Geomorphology is from the University of Minho (1991) . She received her habilitation in Geology in 2004 (University of Minho). Her main research interests are concerned with coastal environments – past (Pleistocene-Holocene) and present morpho-sedimentary dynamics.
From 1977 to 1984 she worked at the Secretary of State for the Environment (Lisbon).

Helena Oliveira is a biologist, has a master’s degree in Applied Ecology and a PhD in Marine and Environmental Sciences (PhD concluded in 2013 at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, University of Porto). She is currently a post-doc Researcher of the Seafood Safety and Processing Team of CIIMAR and works at the IPMA, I.P. facilities. She has been working in different national and european projects (e.g., SEAFOODTOMORROW, FishBudget, Know, Pacto da Bioeconomia Azul). Her main scientific research interest is to study adequate solutions to produce innovative, healthy, safe and high-quality seafood products for human consumption at all ages.

Helena Lourenço is a Researcher at Division of Aquaculture, Upgrading and Bioprospection (DivAV) of Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere, I.P. (IPMA). She holds a degree in Technological Chemistry, a post-graduation in Applied Biochemistry and a PhD in Biochemistry. She is member of DivAV quality management system, according to ISO 17025 accreditation. Her main scientific research area is seafood quality related with essential elements and contaminant metals. The laboratory where she works is the National Reference Laboratory for contaminant metals (Group B3c) in aquaculture products. She participates regularly in the annual meetings of the European Reference Laboratory for metal and nitrogenous compounds in food and feed (EURL-MN). She has participated in > 20 National and International projects and is author of > 30 scientific publications in international journals.

Helena Peres is a Research Nutritionist for the Center of Marine and Environmental Research (CIMAR), at the University of Porto, Portugal, since 2003, and an Invited Associated Professor at the Sciences Faculty, at the University of Porto. Since 2010, she has been invited to collaborate with the post-graduation course, as an Invited Professor at UNESP- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, São Paulo State University, AquaNutri, Botucatu, SP, Brazil. Her domain of specialization is fish nutrition, with particular interest to amino acids/protein and energy metabolism; nutritional strategies for reducing environmental impact of aquaculture; nutritional strategies to modulate wellbeing, stress and infection resistance, and Integrated Multi Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA).

Researcher at IPMA (Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere) in the Microbiology Laboratory of the Division Aquaculture and Valorisation). Presently National Coordinator of National Group for Monitoring Mollusc Bivalves, head of the Molecular Biology Lab, co-responsible for the Microbiology Lab. (National reference lab for bivalves monitoring). More than 30 years of experience in a broad range of subjects on the Fisheries sector on research, training, national and international project proposals, coordination and development. Member of IPMA quality management system and scientific council. Presently working on enteric virus and species identification by molecular biology. Several contributions for manuscripts peer-review and for training on microbiology.

My name is Henrique Assunção. I completed my degree in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Aveiro and continued my studies at the University of Porto with a Master’s in Pharmaceutical Chemistry. I am currently working on my thesis in the field of Natural Products.

Research Assistant at IPMA. Performs research support activity in the scientific area of Information Systems and Technologies, within the scope of the EMODnet Biology project. Organization and formatting of biodiversity data sets for the its availability on the EMODnet data portal, using the formats Darwin Core, EurOBIS, OBIS & OBIS-ENV, WoRMS.

Honorina Cidade is a researcher in CIIMAR and assistant professor of Organic and Medicinal Chemistry of the Faculty of Pharmacy – University of Porto. She obtained her degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 1995 and PhD in Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry from University of Porto in 2001. Since 2013, she is member of the scientific board of the Master in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at FFUP. The area of scientific activity is centered on Medicinal Chemistry, particularly the synthesis of potential drug candidates based on natural product leads such as flavonoids, diarylpentanoids and xanthones.

Bachelor Degree in Biology (educational and scientific branch) from the University of Porto (UP), Master in Genetic Resources and Improvement of Agricultural and Forest Species (Somatic embryogenesis in Narcissus triandrus, Narcissus bulbocodium and Narcissus rupicola) from University de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Doctoral Course in Science of the UP (Production of cardosins in in vitro systems – studies of intracellular expression and transport). He is a secondary science teacher for 31 years and CK12 certified. His main research interest is in the use of model organisms (daphnia, planaria) in K12 teaching, in concept mapping and computer adaptative assessment.

Hugo Morais is a Master in Aquaculture and specialization in Marine Resources Biotechnology at the School of Tourism and Technology of the Sea (ESTM) of the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria (IPLeiria) As a marine biologist he integrated teams of researchers with responsibilities for catch and maintenance of organisms marine ecosystems. As Researcher, he has developed several projects in marine biology and aquaculture projects. Its main interests combine the knowledge and skills acquired in order to develop research activities geared to the problems and challenges of society, in close partnership with the general public, with the greatest interest in promoting marine biology, aquaculture, fisheries and biotechnology blue.

Hugo Moreno graduated in Biology in 2020 by the Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto. Currently he is a master´s student in Biodiversity, Genetics and Evolution at CIBIO. In the Evolutionary Genomics and Bioinformatics group at CIIMAR, he is developing his Master´s project on the evolution of endothermy. His main research interests are evolutionary biology, genetics and molecular evolution.

Hugo Santos holds a degree in Biology from University of Aveiro 1994 and a Master Degree in Sciences in Coastal Zones from the University of Aveiro since 2002. Throughout the years Hugo worked with several different aquatic species (fish and invertebrates) both maintaining and using them as animal models in research. Lectures, research in different national research centers, different theoretical and practical modules in Laboratory Animal Sciences (LAS) courses focusing in the use of fish and other aquatic species in. Hugo was responsible for the first LAS course (CAL-AQUA) that only focused in using aquatic species as laboratory animal models.

Ibrahim Turkmani was born in Damascus (Syria), and graduated in Food Engineering at Kilis 7 Aralik University, Turkey in 2018. He spent two semesters in 2018 at the University of Technology and Life Sciences, Poland under the Erasmus+ program. In 2020, he came to work under a supervision of Prof. Anake Kijjoa at Abel Salazar Biomedical Sciences Institute, University of Porto and received his MSc in June 2021. His research was on isolation and structure elucidation of bioactive compounds from the resin of Garcinia nigrolineata. Currently, the in vitro and in vivo studies of the isolated compounds for anti-Alzheimer’s disease activities are underway.

Imene HAKEM, PhD Student in the field of biology, speciality: genetic microbial. The domain of work is the elaboration of a collection of microbial strain collected in different site of the north of Algeria, the study of the production of the bioactive compound for a potential application.

Inês Amorim is an Environmental Health graduate (2023) from the Superior Health School of the Polytechnic of Porto (E2S.IPP) and is currently an
Environmental Toxicology and Contamination MSc student at School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences of University of Porto (ICBAS.UP) and Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP). This year she will be developing her dissertation focused on the analysis of biotransformation genes in Pinnipeds.

Inês Carvalho graduated in Applied Biology at the University of Minho in 2018, concluded her Master’s degree in Marine Sciences – Marine Resources at the University of Porto in 2020. Currently, she is a PhD student funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). She is enrolled in the Doctoral Programme in Animal Science at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS, Portugal), collaborating with the Aquatic Animal Health team at CIIMAR, Portugal, and CISA-INIA-CSIC, Spain. Her research focuses on the impact of dietary methionine supplementation on fish immune responses, including mucosal immune responses, particularly during inflammation insults.

Inês Ferreira graduated in Marine Biology and Biotechnology by the Polytechnic of Leiria in 2015 and holds a Master degree in Aquaculture granted by the same institute in 2018. She has developed work as research fellow in Cetemares (Marine Sciences R&D, Education, and Knowledge Dissemination Centre) in fish immune status and research field work in the framework of the project BE4AQUAHEALTH (MAR-02.05.01-FEAMP-0013). She is currently a PhD student at CIIMAR funded by FCT (SFRH/BD/147750/2019) in collaboration with IBMC/i3S. Her work is related to the infection mechanisms of Tenacibaculum maritimum, a pathogen with devastating consequences for aquaculture industry.

Inês graduated in Biochemistry (BSc) in 2017, from Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto. In 2019 concluded her Master’s degree (MSc) in Chemistry, from Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, with a thesis focusing in a new methodology of membrane protein extraction. After concluding her thesis, she started working at LANUCE where she is focusing in studying modulation of diets for sea urchins, in order to improve gonads’ quality (colour and taste) that meet consumer’s needs.

I’m currently an MSc student at the University of Algarve, enrolled in the Master in Marine Biology and I’m doing my master’s thesis research within the project “CyanoBOX – Beta-oxidation in cyanobacteria”. Throughout my research career, I have done multiple internships in Portugal, namely at Centre for Functional Ecology (University of Coimbra), Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (MARE, Figueira da Foz), CCMAR (Centre of Marine Sciences, University of Algarve), and, most recently, I was awarded a research fellowship that allowed me to explore the impacts of climate change on eastern Mediterranean reef species and communities in Haifa, Israel.

Inês Gregório is a molecular ecologist with a BSc in Biology (2014) and MSc in Applied Ecology (2017), both awarded by the University of Aveiro (Portugal). Her main research interests focus on the use of genomic tools to answer various ecological questions (genetic structure, connectivity and adaptation) to inform management and conservation of natural populations and vulnerable ecosystems. Currently, she is a PhD candidate on the doctoral programme in Genetics, Evolution and Biodiversity (BIODIV, CIBIO/FCUP) and a fellow of the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (FCT). Her research project aims at assessing the diversity, connectivity and resilience of deep-sea habitat-forming sponges under climate change scenarios, using ecological modelling and genomic approaches.

Inês Guerreiro graduated in Marine Biology in 2006 and finished a master in Aquaculture and Fisheries in 2009 both at University of Algarve. In 2016 obtained a PhD degree in Biology by Faculty of Sciences of University of Porto. Inês is currently a post-doc researcher at CIIMAR. Presently, her research interests are in fish nutrition, namely the potential of dietary carbohydrates as energy source, the use of functional ingredients (prebiotics, probiotics) in order to improve fish rearing and welfare, alternative ingredients to decrease the use of fishmeal, and the mechanisms involved in the regulation of fish appetite.

Inês Leal has a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Porto (FCUP) (2020) and a master’s degree in Molecular and Microbial Biology from the University of Algarve (2022). She worked as a research fellow at CCMAR-Algarve for two years on a project between Portugal and Angola. She is currently a PhD student at FCUP and will be doing her project at CIIMAR and Águas e Energia do Porto. Her work focuses on bioremediation solutions for the removal of emerging micropollutants in wastewater treatments.

Biochemistry graduate and with a MSc in Applied Biology, and a post-graduation in Scientific-Illustration. My main interest is entomology and associated microbiology or parasites. Have developed work with focus on how fungus-growing termites select for their symbiont fungi in their colonies at the University of Copenhagen. My master’s thesis focused on documenting mite communities of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (RPW) and unravelling their role as a pest-control mechanism. I am currently a research grant holder developing work isolating endophytic bacteria from the RPW-host palm tree to develop novel biocontrol methods based on plasmid insertion targeting RPW genes. In parallel to research, i am working as a freelance scientific illustrator doing both scientific and naturalist illustrations.