PROFILE

​My full CV is available here (pdf). [last update 30-06-2022]

I was born in February 1984 in Coimbra, Portugal. I received my MSc degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Coimbra, Portugal, in 2009. My MSc thesis was carried in the University of Pavia, Italia. I completed my PhD in Health Sciences - Biomedical Sciences in 2016, in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Coimbra (FMUC), during which I was particularly interested in the application of machine learning and biomedical engineering techniques to cognitive neuroscience for the analysis of brain functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalographic (EEG) data to investigate visual perception in humans. In parallel, I collaborated in several medical imaging projects, including multivariate data analysis, statistical classification, and development of brain imaging biomarkers in clinical populations (e.g., genetic Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3, Diabetes type 2 and Neurofibromatosis type 1). As a postdoc I worked in a project with the objective of using multimodal medical imaging data (fMRI and functional near infrared spectroscopy, fNIRS) to predict neurodevelopmental outcome in newborns with perinatal asphyxia. At the same time, I collaborated in interdisciplinary projects developing novel medical neuroimaging biomarkers in neurological and psychiatric disorders (multiple sclerosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism).

I was awarded a competitive Junior Researcher contract (FCT Individual Scientific Employment Program CEEC 2017) and I am the Principal Investigator of a competitive FCT-funded project “Novel multimodal imaging biomarkers of neuronal connectivity in Multiple Sclerosis”, as well as co-investigator in 11 other scientific projects. I am currently a contracted researcher at FMUC, and an integrated member of the Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), doing research in neuroimaging and machine learning applied to both basic and translational neuroscience. I am also a member of the Executive Board of CIBIT and the leader of one of its strategic workpackages.

I authored/co-authored 23 articles in journals and conferences, 3 as last author, in which I interacted with 92 collaborators. I have received 3 awards and/or honors, including the 1st prize of Janssen Neuroscience Real World Evidence Award 2019 - Clinical Series: Investigating neuroimaging biomarkers in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. I serve as invited reviewer for multidisciplinary journals (e.g., PLOS One, Neuroimage, Human Brain Mapping, Scientific Reports) and I am also, since 2015, an invited member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism (Nature Publishing Group).

I regularly assist lecturing in medical imaging seminars for undergraduate students (MSc in Biomedical Engineering) and doctoral courses in medical imaging (PhD Program in Health Sciences, FMUC; and PhD Program in Biomedical Engineering, FCTUC). I co-supervised 3 MSc and 2 PhD (ongoing) students, as well as mentored several undergraduate students of Medicine and Biomedical Engineering in lab rotations and summer internships. I was also a member of the examination committees of 7 MSc and PhD project evaluations.

I have been involved in science dissemination events (e.g., in schools, Brain Awareness Week) and organization of scientific conferences. Namely, I co-organized the 7th Iberian Congress on Perception in Coimbra in 2017 and I am the organizer of a symposium at the FENS Regional Meeting (FRM) 2021 entitled “Brain imaging in neuropsychiatric disorders: innovation and translation”.

My research interests: Biomedical engineering - Clinical and cognitive neuroscience - Neuroimaging - Machine learning - MRI - Biomarkers - Connectivity - Multiple sclerosis – Schizophrenia – Bipolar disorder

My contact informations are here.

Junior Researcher
Apr 2019 -
Centre for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), ICNAS - University of Coimbra, Portugal

Postdoctoral research fellow
Nov 2016 - Apr 2019
Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Life Sciences (IBILI), Faculty of Medicine - University of Coimbra, Portugal

Research fellow
Mar 2016 - Apr 2016
Institute of Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS) - University of Coimbra, Portugal

Research fellow
Jul 2015 - Dec 2015
Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Life Sciences (IBILI), Faculty of Medicine - University of Coimbra, Portugal

PhD student
Jul 2011 - Jun 2015
Faculty of Medicine - University of Coimbra, Portugal

Research fellow
Oct 2009 - Jun 2011
Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Life Sciences (IBILI), Faculty of Medicine - University of Coimbra, Portugal