Speakers
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ALEXANDRA BENTO |
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Alexandra Bento has a degree in Nutrition Sciences (1993, FCNAUP-U.Porto), a master's degree in Food Innovation (2008, UCP), a PhD in Food Consumption and Nutrition Sciences (2016, FCNAUP-U.Porto) and a postgraduate degree in Health Management (2019, Católica Porto Business School). Coordinator of the Food and Nutrition Department of the Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge, which develops activities in the areas of food safety, toxicology and risk assessment, food composition, food and nutrition, lifestyles and impact on health, through research and development, surveillance, reference, provision of differentiated services, training, information and consultancy. PhD collaborating member of the Centre for Research and Agro-environmental and Biological Technologies at the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro. Nutritionist, specialising in community nutrition and public health. Lecturer at NOVA Medical School, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, where he teaches Health Policy, Nutrition Policy, Health Communication and Food and Nutrition Marketing. Lecturer at the European University, where she coordinates the Degree in Nutrition Sciences. She was the first female President of the Order of Nutritionists, a position she held from 2012 to 2023.
INSA |
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ANA ISABEL RIBEIRO |
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Ana Isabel Ribeiro, a geographer with a Master's and PhD in Public Health, is a researcher at the Institute of Public Health at the University of Porto, founder and coordinator of the Health and Territory Laboratory, and Visiting Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Medicine. She has published over a hundred scientific articles and led collaborative projects in the field of urban and environmental health.
ISPUP |
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ANA RAMOS |
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Ana Ramos is a senior researcher at INEGI and an integrated researcher at LAETA - Associate Laboratory of Energy, Transports and Aerospace, acting also as coordinator and lecturer of advanced training courses in the topics of Circular Economy and Sustainability, Industry Decarbonization, Life Cycle and Social Assessment both at national and international institutions. She represents INEGI in the Processes4Planet partnership and collaborates in international consortia to support industry and innovation. With a degree in Chemistry, an MSc in Environmental Analytical Chemistry, and a PhD in Environmental Engineering from the University of Porto (2020), her research focuses on Waste-to-Energy strategies for sustainable renewable energy production.
INEGI |
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ANTÓNIO VITORINO |
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António Vitorino is a lawyer and politician. He earned a law degree (1981) and a master’s in Legal and Political Sciences (1986) from the University of Lisbon. He began his career as a lawyer in 1983 and lectured at several Portuguese universities. He entered politics in 1980 as a Member of Parliament and held roles such as Secretary of State for Parliamentary Affairs (1983–85) and Deputy Governor of Macau (1986–87). He served as a judge at the Constitutional Court (1989–94) and Minister of Defense and Presidency (1995–97). From 1999 to 2004, he was the European Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs, contributing to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. In 2018, he was elected Director-General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), leading it until 2023, focusing on global cooperation on migration challenges. António Vitorino is currently the President of the National Council for Migration and Asylum - Portugal. President of the National Council for Migration and Asylum - Portugal |
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CIDÁLIA PINA-VAZ |
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Cidália Pina-Vaz is a medical doctor specialist in Clinical Pathology and with the sub-speciality of Microbiology and a full Professor of Microbiology at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto. Co-founder of FASTinov, a spin-off of Porto University located at UPTEC-Porto, with the mission of introducing in the market a rapid Antimicrobial Susceptibility Assay result of her research. Author of several patents, more than 300 scientific papers and book chapters. National representant in EUCAST since 2018.
FASTinov |
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FABÍOLA COSTA |
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Dr. Fabíola Costa is a researcher with over two decades of experience spanning fundamental research, pre-clinical studies, and clinical trials, including Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) and real-world data analysis. Holding a PharmD and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering (Cum Laude) from the University of Porto, she has advanced innovative therapies in infectious diseases, tissue regeneration, and digital health. As Director of Clinical Research at Sword Health, she leads efforts to clinically validate AI-driven musculoskeletal programs with a focus on health equity and underserved populations. Dr. Costa has authored over 60 peer-reviewed publications, secured prestigious funding, including the la Caixa Impulse Foundation grant, and co-invented three patents.
Sword Health |
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FERNANDO REMIÃO |
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Fernando Remião (FR), PharmD (1993), PhD (2002) is an Associate Professor with Aggregation (2015) at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Porto (FFUP), and is currently Director of the Integrated Master's Degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences at FFUP. He is a Senior Researcher in the Toxicology Group of the Applied Molecular Biosciences Research Unit (UCIBIO) and the Institute of Health and Bioeconomics (i4HB), having (co)supervised around three dozen Master's and PhD students and published more than two hundred scientific articles in the field. He was Pro-Rector of U.Porto for Pedagogical Innovation (2014-18) and was/is a member of several Erasmus+ projects related to the development of teaching and learning in higher education, through the use of Educational Technologies and Open Educational Resources. He has several publications in national and international journals and as book chapters in the pedagogical field and has recently participated in/coordinated evaluation panels for university projects related to combating school dropout and failure, as well as for centres of excellence for pedagogical innovation within the scope of funding from the Recovery and Resilience Plan.
FFUP - Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade do Porto |
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JOANA MAGALHÃES |
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Joana Magalhaes is a researcher in ageing and age-related diseases at i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde. She is the founder and coordinator of GreenLabs Portugal, the Portuguese network of greenlabs that promote and support green lab movements on an institutional level, aiming to promote sustainable practices in research. Greenlabs/I3S-UP Webpage |
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JORGE MALHEIROS |
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Professor Jorge Macaísta Malheiros is a Geographer and Researcher at the ZOE Research Group of the Centre for Geographical Studies at IGOT, University of Lisbon, where he also serves as an Associate Professor. He is the coordinator of the inter-school PhD in Development Studies at the University of Lisbon, and teaches and conducts research in Human Geography, focusing on urban social studies, housing, socio-territorial inequalities, demography, and migration. He has supervised numerous national and international PhD theses on these topics. He is a board member of the Tropical College at the University of Lisbon, has published extensively in Portugal and abroad and has participated in and coordinated research projects on migration, housing, and socio-spatial integration. He was the facilitator of Thematic Network 2 (Professional and Social Integration of Immigrants, Ethnic Minorities, and Refugees) under the EU EQUAL Programme for Equality (Portugal, 2003-2004, 2005-2007). Currently, he represents IGOT at the Emigration Observatory, is a board member of the Portuguese Council for Refugees (CPR), and serves as Portugal’s correspondent for SOPEMI (OECD, 2002-2024). Centre of Geographical Studies, IGOT, University of Lisbon Webpage |
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JORGE SANTOS |
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Jorge Santos is the co-founder and CEO of AquaInSilico, leading innovation in digital solutions for wastewater management. His company developed UPWATER® technology, a groundbreaking approach that uses predictive microbial simulation to optimize biological processes and resource recovery in wastewater treatment plants. A renowned expert in process modeling and water sustainability, Jorge's work has earned global recognition, shaping the future of intelligent water management. AquaInSilico Lda is an innovative spin-off from Nova University Lisbon (Portugal), dedicated to transforming the wastewater treatment sector through cutting-edge digital solutions. Specializing in industrial and municipal wastewater management, the company is committed to promoting sustainability and circularity in the water cycle. AquaInSilico’s technology, UPWATER®, relied on the power of advanced algorithms and AI to provide real-time data analytics, accurate forecasting, and optimization recommendations. By improving energy efficiency and operational performance, UPWATER® empowers wastewater treatment plants to maximize profitability and contribute to the upcycling of valuable resources, like biogas, biofertilizers and treated water. AquaInSilico Institutional Webpage | Webpage |
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KÁTIA PINELLO |
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Katia Cristina Pinello holds a PhD in Veterinary Sciences from the University of Porto (2018), a Master’s degree in Veterinary Sciences from the University of São Paulo (2006), and a Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Science from the same institution (2002). Currently, she is an Affiliated Professor and Auxiliary Researcher at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto, and a Researcher at the Institute of Public Health, University of Porto, EpiUnit and ITR One Health Lab.
ICBAS-UP/ISPUP Webpage |
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RALPH URBATZKA |
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Ralph Urbatzka is a principal researcher at CIIMAR, and team leader of “Biodiscovery for Health”. He graduated in Biology in 2002 in Cologne, Germany and received his PhD in 2007 in Molecular Biology from the Humboldt-University Berlin, Germany. His current research interests focus on the bioactivity screening and elucidation of molecular mechanism of natural products from aquatic ecosystems, in particular for metabolic diseases. He is co-founder of the startup company Fykia Biotech, which develops innovative solutions, based on exclusive microalgae and proprietary technologies, to tackle modern problems in healthcare, skincare and agriculture.
Fykia Biotech Institutional Webpage | Webpage |
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RITA CARVALHO DE MATOS |
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Rita is the Head of People and Development at the Happiness Business School and the Coordinator of the MBA in Organizational Happiness in Lisbon, in addition to teaching the Emotional Intelligence and Final Project modules. She holds a degree in Business Organization and Management and a postgraduate degree in Trade Marketing & Sales. Rita has 20 years of experience managing projects and teams in large multinational companies, which led her to specialize in Emotional Intelligence and Communication. In 2018, she embarked on a "Life Redesign," following her intuition that it is possible to be happy at work when we align ourselves with our true purpose and embrace our essence. In all her engagements, she has consistently received a 5/5 rating from her clients and is a true inspiration! Happiness Business School Institutional Webpage | Personal Webpage |
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SARA MARQUES |
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Sara Marques is an International eHealth Project Team Leader at the Global Digital Health and International Affairs Team (NSDGRI) at the Shared Services of the Ministry of Health. She is responsible for leading the team accountable for developing and delivering international eHealth projects related to the secondary use of health data under the framework of the European Health Data Space (QUANTUM, TEHDAS2, EUCAIM, HealthData@PT). She is a former researcher in Bioanalytical Chemistry and Nanotechnology at LAQV-REQUIMTE and holds a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology Applied to Health Sciences (ICBAS). Global Digital Health and International Affairs, Shared Services of the Ministry of Health (SPMS), Portugal Institutional Webpage |
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TERESA BARROSO |
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Teresa Barroso, DVM, PhD, is a distinguished veterinary scientist specializing in Artificial Intelligence (AI) applied to healthcare, biosensing technologies, and molecular diagnostics. With a PhD in Health Sciences and a specialization in Molecular Genetics, she has built a strong career at the intersection of veterinary medicine, biotechnology, and AI-driven diagnostics. Currently, she is a Professor of Veterinary Pharmacology at CESPU and collaborates as Scientific Researcher at INESC TEC, focusing on reagent-less AI-based point-of-care (POC) spectroscopy for rapid blood analysis in both human and veterinary medicine. She has played a key role in developing veterinary diagnostic infrastructure, including the creation and implementation of two veterinary clinical analysis laboratories (INNO and IDVet) over a 10-year period. Her current scientific projects include: “PocketVet – On-site dairy cow mastitis diagnosis using AI-based spectroscopy”, “MyVet – Reagent-less veterinary blood analysis for rapid clinical diagnostics”, “SpecTOM – Non-invasive spectroscopic tomography for medical imaging”, and “Phenobots – AI-driven photonics for precision agriculture and agro-food analysis. With 20 years of research experience, Dr. Barroso has successfully led R&D initiatives bridging lab-to-market innovations. She has also collaborated internationally with Boehringer Ingelheim, IDEXX, and ENVIGO, strengthening industry-academia partnerships. Dr. Barroso is a pioneer in AI-powered biosensing, driving the future of non-invasive, reagent-less diagnostics in veterinary and human healthcare. INESCTEC -Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science | CRIIS - Centro de Robótica Industrial e Sistemas Inteligentes Institutional Webpage | Linkedin |
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VASCO ESTEVES |
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Vasco Teixeira Esteves is currently president of Portugal Insect, an association that promotes the sustainable use of insects in animal and human food, collaborating directly with official entities to develop the sector. He is also the founder and CEO of Tecmafoods, where he is leading the implementation of an integrated model that covers everything from reproduction to the transformation of insects, bringing an innovative and sustainable approach to the sector. With extensive experience in the research and development of insect-based products, he is dedicated to promoting innovative and sustainable food solutions to global challenges.
Tecmafoods Institutional Webpage | Linkedin |
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VICTOR CID |
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Professor of Microbiology at the Complutense University of Madrid, and Member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Pharmacy and the Spanish Royal Academy of Doctors. His research focuses on the development of humanized yeast models for the study of genes related to human diseases. President of the Education division Spanish Society for Microbiology, he coordinates the MicroMundo network for raising awareness on antibiotic resistance through Citizen Science and Service-Learning, an initiative that has obtained national and international community engagement awards.
Universidad Complutense, Madrid Institutional Webpage |
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