Patrícia Gatinho Silva holds a BSc in Biotechnology from the University of Évora (2020), and two MSc from the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro: Biotechnology for Health Sciences (2023) and Biomedical Engineering (2024). She is currently a PhD student in Biochemistry at the University of Évora, supported by a doctoral fellowship from the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, 2024.00316.BD). Her doctoral research focuses on bioactive metabolites produced by microorganisms with antimicrobial activity, aiming at their identification, characterization, and biotechnological production for sustainable application in cultural heritage conservation, particularly targeting biodeteriogenic microorganisms. This research is carried out within the Biotechnology and Biodegradation Unit of the HERCULES Laboratory (University of Évora), Portugal, and at the Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS-CSIC), Spain. She is currently involved in the ISSalus project (4000148673) under the ESA PRODEX programme, which explores the production of bioactive compounds in microgravity conditions using microbial isolates from extreme environments. During her undergraduate studies, she completed an extracurricular internship in Crystallography at ITQB-NOVA and participated in the PROBIOMA project (0483_PROBIOMA/5E) at the HERCULES Laboratory, where she investigated the antitumoral potential of bioactive compounds produced by microbial isolates from subterranean environments. Between 2020 and 2021, she contributed to a national SARS-CoV-2 screening program, performing RT-PCR diagnostics at the COVID-19 Testing Unit of UTAD. Her first master's thesis, developed within the PlumaGENE project (NORTE-01-0247-FEDER033533), focused on the development of a piezoelectric DNA-based biosensor for lung cancer detection. Her second master's thesis, conducted under a mobility program at the University of Évora, focused on the bioprospecting of bioactive compounds from pristine environments for biomedical applications. This work was carried out within the MICROCENE (PTDC/CTA-AMB/0608/2020) and TUBOLAN (PID2019-108672RJ-I00) projects, resulting in multiple international conference communications and the publication of peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Sustainability (2023) and International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation (2024). From March 2023 to September 2024, she held a research fellowship in the ART3mis project (2022.07303.PTDC), focusing on the development of eco-friendly biocides based on microbial metabolites for applications in cultural heritage conservation. Patrícia has co-authored scientific publications and has contributed to scientific dissemination through conference presentations and outreach activities. She has participated in events such as the European Researchers’ Night (2022, 2023, 2025), National Scientists' Day, IMATERIAL Festival, and Science and Technology Week (2023, 2024). She has also been involved in academic organization, as a member of the organizing committee of the Biochemistry Conferences (2024/2025) and the Jornadas BIOQUITEC 2026 – Biochemistry and Biotechnology Conference at the University of Évora, and previously as a student representative in academic committees. Throughout her academic and research career, she has developed strong expertise in microbiology, molecular biology, and biotechnology, including microbial isolation and cultivation, DNA/RNA extraction, PCR and RT-PCR techniques, cell culture, and in vitro toxicological assays. She has also contributed to the training and supervision of undergraduate students in laboratory environments.