Keynote Speakers
Davide Degli Esposti is a Research Scientist at the French National Institute of Agriculture, Nutrition and Environment (INRAE).
“I apply -omics and network biology approaches to improve the understanding of molecular physiology and ecotoxicological mechanisms mainly in aquatic organisms. My current research questions focus on the molecular mechanisms involved in reproductive toxicity, metabolic disorders and individual vulnerability to environmental contaminants. In order to take into account the complexity of chemical mixtures, I experiment the exposome in aquatic ecosystems combining active biomonitoring, in vitro bioassays, in vivo proteomics and environmental chemistry approaches.”
An MSc graduate from FCUP, Pedro Cunha moved to Norway to become an Image Analyst for one of Norway’s most innovative aquaculture tech companies, Stingray Marine Solutions.
Stingray’s technology combines stereo machine vision, advanced software and high-precision lasers to kill exoparasites on farmed fish. Pedro’s work makes the bridge between biology and machine learning, improving the way the system detects parasites and kills them.
João Varela is an Associate Professor in Biotechnology at the University of Algarve (UALG), and a founding member of the Centro de Ciências do Mar do Algarve (CCMAR). He earned his PhD at Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, where he carried out pioneering work on the elucidation of the molecular response of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to osmotic and salt stress. At UALG, he shifted his focus to microalgae, in particular on Dunaliella salina and its response to stress through the accumulation of carotenoids in its chloroplast. Currently, together with Luísa Barreira, he leads the MarBiotech group at CCMAR, which focuses on Microalgae Biotechnology. He also participates as an active member and founder of the collaborative laboratory GreenColab (greencolab.com), which brings together academia and companies in a concerted effort to create qualified jobs and new products. João Varela has participated in 30 competitively funded projects and 2 research contracts. He is a member of the editorial boards of Algal Research, Marine Biotechnology, Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences and Marine Drugs.