Adriana Oliveira was born in Matosinhos, Porto, in 1998 and graduated in Biology from FCUP, 2019. She started her professional career as an intern at CIIMAR in 2018 and completed her Master’s degree in Aquatic Biological Resources in 2021. She completed her Master’s thesis in NUTRIMU after also doing part of her work at EPPO, from IPMA. In 2022, as a recent graduate, she completed 2 ERASMUS + internships at Universidad de Granada, Spain, and Università Politecnica delle Marche, Italy. She is currently working at LANUCE and was recently awarded a PhD scholarship under the FCT programme.

Alexandra Marques, graduated in Zootechnical Engineering (2014) and in 2020 he specialized in Quality Control by the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Porto.
Since 2014, she has been a Ciimar collaborator at the Nutrition, Growth and Quality of Fish (LANUCE), where she is currently senior technician responsible for the group’s chemical analyses and lab management.

Ana Basto holds a Bachelor’s degree in Aquatic Sciences from the Abel Salazar Institute of Biomedical Sciences – University of Porto (ICBAS-UP) since 2014 and a Master’s degree in Aquatic Biological Resources from the Faculty of Sciences – University of Porto since 2016. In 2023, Ana Basto completed her European Doctorate in Animal Science – Nutrition Specialty, at ICBAS-UP. Ana Basto is authorized by the Directorate-General for Food and Veterinary to perform procedures on animals, and her main research interests focus on fish physiology, particularly the nutrition of marine fish species produced in aquaculture.

Ana Mafalda Claro completed her Degree in Biology in 2021 and her Master’s Degree in Cell and Molecular Biology in 2023 both from the University of Porto Faculty of Sciences.  In 2023, she participated as a Research Fellow in a project related to Neurobiology at the Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S). Recently, she started to work as a Research Technician in a project related to Animal Science at the Center for Interdisciplinary Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR).

I’m a pharmacist graduated by the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS) – Brazil. I’m in the second year of the master’s degree in Consumer Sciences and Nutrition at Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP) and Faculty of Nutrition and food sciences of the University of Porto (FCNAUP). I am developing my master’s thesis under the supervision of professor Luísa Valente and aims to evaluate the impact of different cooking methods on the lipids of turbot fish (Scophthalmus maximus).

Andreia Filipa-Silva is a researcher at Feed and Seafood Quality Team (LANUCE) from CIIMAR, with a PhD in Molecular Biosciences, obtained in 2021 at Universidade Nova de Lisboa. Here my focus was to address viral abundance and diversity in four fish species commonly consumed in Europe. This study was essential to characterize fish viral-associated diversity and identify putative viral pathogens that can directly impact fish/human health and the biosafety of aquatic environment. Currently, my focus is on improving farmed species’ biosecurity to offer healthy and safe seafood items to consumers and tailor the flesh quality of farmed species.

Daniela Salazar graduated in Environmental Engineering (BSc) in 2018 from Universidad Católica Boliviana in La Paz, Bolivia.  She collaborated with the Center on Investigation in Water, Energy, and Sustainability and the Georgia Institute of Technology to study the antibiotic resistance of coliforms in bioaerosols from a sewage-polluted river in La Paz, Bolivia. She is pursuing a Master’s in Environmental Contamination and Toxicology from the ECT+ consortium under an Erasmus+ Scholarship. She’s developing her master’s thesis at ICBAS-UP and CIIMAR (LANUCE) under the BASSinCELLS project.

Bia Pinho graduated in Laboratory Biomedical Sciences at ESS (School of Health Polytechnic of Porto, 2021) and received her MSc in Laboratory Techniques in Biopathology – specialization in Histopathology (2023) from the same university. Since September 2023 she’s been working as a laboratory technician at Instituto Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar at the University of Porto and in charge of the histology analysis in LANUCE at CIIMAR.

Carla Sousa holds a BSc in Biology and a MSc in Aquatic Biological Resources, both from the University of Porto, Faculty of Sciences. During her career, she acquired industrial and academic experience, gaining solid knowledge in microbiology, pathology and molecular biology, as well as in areas such as toxicology, animal nutrition and zootechny. Currently she is developing her PhD thesis which focuses on understanding the potential impact of parasites on fish nutritional and organoleptic quality, and safety.

Carlos Espírito Santo holds a master’s degree in Molecular Genetics and a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry by the University of Minho. He is currently a PhD student and his work is focused on the effects of swimming activity in the welfare and development of fish species and its applicability in aquaculture.

Cristina Velasco is a researcher of CIIMAR and invited assistant professor at University of Porto with a PhD in Marine Sciences, Technology and Management, obtained in 2018 in the group Physiology of fish the University of Vigo. Her main research interest is the fundamental biological aspects of the metabolic and endocrine regulation of feed intake in fish, specialized in the nutrient sensing mechanisms, energy sensors and intracellular mechanisms. She is currently working on the integration of fundamental biology knowledge with applied research to fully valorise agro-food by-products as feed ingredients for farmed fish.

I studied my Degree in Marine Sciences at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), which made me go deeper into the world of science, learning a lot about the different branches covered by this degree, giving me the opportunity to do an ERASMUS +. As I always liked working with animals and everything related to research, I opted for the Master in Marine Cultures taught by the ULPGC, the ECOAQUA and the CIHEAM, doing my master’s thesis in Aveiro with shrimps of the genus Lysmata and different biomarkers of oxidative stress, doing another ERASMUS +.

I have a bachelor’s degree in aquatic sciences at ICBAS and a master’s degree in conservation
biology at FCUL. During my master’s degree, I had the opportunity to do my thesis on the
ACCURATE project, where I analyzed acoustic tag data with R software and counted narwhal
foraging sounds in MT Viewer software to obtain a mean cue rate estimate that will be required
to obtain an estimate of narwhal’s density in the future. Currently, I am at LANUCE as a technician
for the Pep4Fish project, which aims to develop diets that will improve sea bass health, growth,
and their resistance to stress and bacterial infections.

Graduated in Biology in the University of Murcia (Spain). M.Sc. in Management of the Biodiversity in Mediterranean Environments in the University of Murcia (Spain). Master's Thesis focused on the body condition in freshwater fishes along the Segura River basin. Ph.D. in Biology in the University of Barcelona (Spain) and the Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (Tarragona, Spain). Doctoral Dissertation focused on the larviculture of brachyuran crabs, as well as the description (anatomical and histological) of its digestive system during the development. Post-doctoral research realized in the Centro de Maricultura da Calheta (Madeira, Portugal) focused on the culture of limpets.

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.

Jorge Freitas has a degree in Biotechnology from the University of Aveiro (2011). He completed the Master in Industrial and Environmental Biotechnology (2013) between the University of Aveiro and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm. He is currently developing his PhD in company (Ilhapeixe S.A.) and University of Madeira, with a PhD scholarship from ARDITI, under the guidance of Professor José S. Câmara and Professor Paulo Vaz-Pires. The work is related to the quality of aquaculture products, from production, quality control, traceability and safety.

Full Professor (catedrático) of Animal Physiology in the University of Vigo. Research on metabolic (nutrient sensing systems) and neuroendocrine control of food intake and energy homeostasis in fish. CV highlights: 180 papers in JCR journals (102 Q1, first/corresponding author in 109), 1 book and 4 book chapters, h-index=41, >5000 citations, 42 research projects (PI in 28), 12 PhD Thesis supervised, and member of 6 editorial boards (Am.J.Physiol, Br.J.Nutr, PloS One, Sci. Rep, Frontiers Physiol and Frontiers Marine Sci)

Luciano Santos is a young researcher with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Biochemistry, dedicated to scientific research in the Feed and Seafood Quality (LANUCE) research team. Currently, he is enrolled in the doctoral program in Animal Science at the Abel Salazar Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS). His thesis proposal aims to explore the bioactive potential of hydrolysates derived from byproducts of the agri-food industry, to produce innovative aquafeeds with the capacity to enhance the robustness of farmed fish to environmental challenges and infections, as well as to improve the quality and nutritional value of fish flesh.

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.

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.

Maria João Xavier graduated in Biology in 2013 and holds a master’s degree in Biological Aquatic Resources in 2015, both from the Faculty of Sciences of Porto University (FCUP). Currently, working in the PhD thesis from the Doctoral Program in Animal Sciences for Sustainable Animal Nutrition and Feeding (SANFEED). Most of her research has been focus on the role of natural plant extracts as feed additives to modulated growth performance, muscle development, oxidative status and digestive capacity of marine fish larvae and postlarvae.

Maria Leonor Lemos is a veterinary medicine student at ICBAS (Biomedical Sciences Institute Abel Salazar). She is currently developing her MSc thesis dissertation on Campylobacter spp. Her main research interests focus on microbiology multidrug-resistant bacteria under the One Health perspective.

Mariana Girão is a PhD student, currently enrolled in the Biomedical Sciences doctoral program at the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences of the University of Porto. Mariana’s research focus on bioprospecting the diversity and secondary metabolism of marine-sourced Actinobacteria to uncover novel natural products with pharmaceutical and industrial applications. Mariana holds a BSc in Aquatic Sciences (2016, ICBAS-UP) and a MSc in Cell and Molecular Biology (2018, FCUP).

Mariana Ferreira graduated in Biochemistry (BSc) in 2016 from University of Porto (FCUP) and holds a Master’s degree in Microbiology granted by University of Lisbon (IST). She is currently a PhD student of the Doctoral Programme in Animal Science (ICBAS, University of Porto), under a FCT grant. She is developing her research work at LANUCE and at Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture, Nord University (Norway). Her thesis is focused on the impacts of functional diets with micro- and macroalgae on the fish gut microbiota, intestinal health, immune status and overall performance.

Marta Monteiro obtained her PhD in Biology at FCUP, where she applied Fish nutrition and biotechnological tools to obtain functional ingredients based on micro- and macroalgae for aquafeeds. She is currently a post-doc researcher at CIIMAR, in the Nutrition, Growth and Quality of Fish (LANUCE), working in the development of new functional ingredients with stress mitigation properties and exploring the underlying mechanisms of fish stress response.

I am a marine biologist with particular interests in fish  nutrition and life food chains I have been working within the aquaculture industry since 2000, soon after finishing my Degree in Marine Biology. My main interests where the economic aspects of the industry, environmental impacts in the ecosystem; resolution of conflicts between different users and the implementation of the European Directives. Working for the Regional Government of Madeira, specifically in the Aquaculture Division, I am responsible for analyzing all the private licensing processes regarding marine aquaculture and to coordinate the reports and research projects related with environmental impacts of aquaculture and to actively contribute for the implementation of the national legislation regarding aquaculture and environmental impacts. Recently my research has been focused in microalgae bioactive compounds and the potentiality of improving cultures in hatchery facilities.

I am a biologist (FCUL) and still as an honors student I got into fish physiology, thermotolerance and swimming performance in particular. Later on, I focused my interest and gained experience in Aquaculture and went on Master studies in Aquaculture in Barcelona. Lately, I went on a PhD in Animal Science (ICBAS-UP) specialized in Nutrition and focused on the effect of dietary protein on myogenesis and growth potential in fish larvae, working between CCMAR, ICBAS and CIIMAR. I am currently a post-doc in Madeira, where I work mostly on fish nutrition, particularly on the evaluation of new ingredients potential to promote growth performance, but also quality and robustness.

Paulo Rema (PhD), is a senior scientist and Associated Professor at UTAD, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro. PR is the coordinator of the Aquaculture facilities and head of the aquaculture team. PR is the Director of the Animal Science Doctoral programme and has more than 25 years of experience in aquaculture and fish nutrition. PR supervised more than 50 students (PhDs and MSc) and has over 70 publications in international and national journals. Close collaboration with industrial partners and participation in numerous national and international research projects (>20).

Associate professor with aggregation at ICBAS, areas of technology, fish quality and safety, industrial waste management and animal welfare.
1986, graduation in Sciences of the Aquatic Environment, ICBAS/UP.
1986 to 1997, teacher at Centro Forpescas (currently For-Mar), areas of Fishing Technology and Fish Processing.
1991, post-graduation in Food Science and Engineering at ESB/UCP.
1996, doctorate in fish preservation, ESB/UCP.
1997, start of academic career as invited assistant professor at ICBAS/UP.
1998 until today, effective member of CIIMAR/UP.
2006, associate professor.
2011, aggregation obtained in ICBAS/UP.

Paulo Martins da Costa, graduated in Veterinary Medicine (1994) at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine; PhD in Biomedical Sciences (2006) at the Abel Salazar Institute of Biomedical Sciences of the University of Porto.
Professor at ICBAS/UPorto (since 1999), lecturing food safety and technology in the Integrated Master in Veterinary Medicine (MIMV). Director of the MIMV since June 2023.
Member (since 2007) of the Center for Interdisciplinary Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR) of the University of Porto.
Director (since 2009) of the Microbiology Laboratory of the Department of Aquatic Production of ICBAS/UP.
His scientific activity includes (i) the study of the epidemiological cycles of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria in humans, animals and the environment and (ii) the research of new antimicrobials.
Since 2002, he has participated in several studies aiming the phenotypic and genotypic characterization of MDR bacteria disseminated in several populations and intermingled ecological niches: humans, livestock species (poultry, rabbits, cattle, pigs), pets (dogs, cats and exotics), wild animals (seagulls, wolves, birds of prey) plants (food) and environment (e. g. wastewater treatment plant effluents, rivers, lakes, coastline, standpipes).
He is co-author of 90 scientific articles, co-inventor of 4 patents, researcher in 24 projects, and invited speaker in dozens of scientific meetings; he is also involved in a clinical and food bacteriology service open to the community. Author of the book: Many Species, One Veterinary Medicine (https://www.up.pt/press/books/muitas-especies-uma-so-medicina-veterinaria).

Rafaela Costa holds a Bachelor’s (BSc) and Master’s (MSc) degree in Biochemistry, which were granted by the University of Porto in 2019 and 2021, respectively. Currently, she works as a research technician in the Laboratory of Nutrition, Growth and Quality of Fish (LANUCE), CIIMAR.

I received my BSc in Biology from the University of Aveiro (Aveiro, Portugal), where I also received my MSc in Toxicology and Ecotoxicology. Ever since, I have participated in numerous research efforts within the context of ecotoxicology and aquaculture, which eventually lead to the start of my PhD in January 2020, under the orientation of Prof. Dr. Luísa Valente and within the context of the Doctoral Programme In Animal Sciences (specialization in Nutrition), at ICBAS (University of Porto). My main research interests involve aquaculture, ecotoxicology, animal nutrition and environmental sustainability.

Ricardo Matias has a BSc in Biology and a MSc in Ecology at the University of Coimbra, concluded in 2016 and 2018 respectively. He has since then collaborated with the Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (MARE) and British Antarctic Survey (BAS) on plastic pollution research in the Southern Ocean. Since late 2020, Ricardo became a PhD student of the Animal Sciences doctoral programme at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto. Under the ATLANTIDA project, his work aims to understand the impact of microplastics on the welfare, quality and safety of aquatic products of aquaculture

Rodrigo Ozorio (RO) has more than 20 years of experience in Aquaculture, special emphasis on the fish nutrition. He holds MSc and PhD degrees from Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR), The Netherlands. RO is the expert in the nutritional dynamics of fish and the economic potential of new aquaculture species based on a set of husbandry and physiological criteria. He participated in 15 national and international projects (overall budget of 2.0 million euros), including four projects as scientific leader dealing with new aquaculture systems and sustainable alternative for intensive marine aquaculture. He supervised 8 PhD theses and 15 MSc theses and he authored over 56 scientific publications.

SG holds a BSc in Applied Biology, an MSc in Molecular Genetics (U.MINHO) and a PhD in Genetics (UTAD). Her scientific interests involve DNA-based approaches to enhance seafood yield and quality. Currently, she’s focused on developing next-generation in vitro models, all with commitment to advancing sustainable aquaculture practices.

I am biologist with Master Degree in Biology and Water Quality Management by Faculty of Sciences, Porto University and I finished my master thesis in microplastics and environmental education.

I am a postdoctoral researcher in the Nutrition, Growth and Fish Quality Team (LANUCE) at CIIMAR, holding a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Porto (2022). During this time, my focus was to evaluate the activation of several inflammatory pathways, namely COX-2 and 5-; 12-; and 15-LOXs, in human cellular systems. Subsequently, the potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of chalcones, a class of bioactive compounds, were assessed in these systems. Currently, my work at LANUCE is focused on the development of an in vitro cell culture model to evaluate the phagocytic and immunological activities of intestinal cells isolated from sea bass.

I have graduated in anatomical pathology technician, from CESPU – Gandra, Portugal and currently I am a master student in Consumer Sciences and Nutrition. Since july 2010 I am a laboratory technician at Instituto Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar at University of Porto and in charge of the histology analysis in the LANUCE at CIIMAR.