I am a Biochemist (2005) and a PhD in Biomedicine (2011) by University of Porto. Through my international curricular pathway, I got trained in proteomics at the BRC-Centre of Excellence of the European Union (Hungary), in Proximity Ligation Assays at Uppsala University (Sweden), in oncobiology and glycobiology at the Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of University of Porto (Portugal) and in bacterial adhesion and pathogen adaptation at Umea University (Sweden). At present, I am an Assistant Investigator at i3S and Assistant Professor of Biochemistry at ICBAS- Scholl of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences of the University of Porto.

My research experience has resulted in a solid publication record in cancer glycobiology as I contributed to more than 50 peer-reviewed publications (including Cancer Cell, Nature Cell Biology, Developmental Cell, JBC, Mucosal Immunology, BBA, Journal of Clinical Investigation) with more than 250 different co-authors. My publications have received more than 1800 citations (H-index 26). My scientific findings have been translated in two international patents. I have been distinguished with several prizes including: Fundação Eng. António de Almeida (2005); EMBO fellowship (2012) and FEBS Letters award (2019). I have successfully complete the supervision of 3 PhD and 6 MSc students, as main or co-supervisor. All these dissertations articulate fundamental and clinical research. 

Since 2017, I independently established a new line of research i3S/University of Porto, focused on the mechanistic roles of proteoglycans in cancer-extracellular matrix dynamics and cell communication. I have been successful in raising competitive funding as Principal Investigator (238K from FCT), and as participant researcher in national and international project grants (>1,75M from FCT, EU Regional Development Fund, EU-funded Marie Curie ITN GastricGlycoExplorer and INNOGLY COST action). These grants allowed me to build a strong and dedicated research team. I currently supervise 2 PhD students (Co-supervised by Mattias Belting, Lund University and Romain Vivès, IBS-Grenoble). I additionally co-supervise a medical PhD student from the Faculty of Medicine of University of Porto. I have independently established a network of high profiled international collaborators that are either consultants on my research projects or co-supervisors and hosts of my PhD students. Moreover, my international recognition in cancer glycobiology is reflected by the organization of international meetings, my roles in European consortiums (including Marie Curie training networks and COST actions) and invitation for oral presentations in international meetings. 

In addition, I have participated in juries of academic degrees; I act as reviewer for several journals, I am an Associated Editor of Frontiers in Oncology, Topic Board Member of Biomolecules and co-editor of Rising Stars initiative from Frontiers in Gastroenterology; in the last 2-years was a member of the management committee of the INNOGLY COST action. As an i3S Science Ambassador, I have been engaged in several activities of Science Awareness and Dissemination.