Catarina Ferreira Medeiros (CFM) holds a Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD). During her undergraduate studies, she acquired comprehensive knowledge, ranging from the principles of exact sciences to health sciences, developing skills in innovative approaches applied to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases. With a growing interest in the areas of health and biology, she obtained a Master's degree in Clinical Laboratory Biology from UTAD in 2022. During her Master's program, she deepened her interest in research by completing a thesis titled "Effect of Cytinus spp. extract in a K14-HPV16 animal model," for which she received a grade of 19. Throughout her academic journey, CFM published a scientific article, presented a poster, delivered an oral communication, and participated in two conferences (one national and one international), where she received an award for the best abstract. From 2021 to 2024, she worked at the João Lamartine Dias Lda. Clinical Analysis Laboratory, where she served as a clinical analysis technician in various areas, including biochemistry, microbiology, hematology, endocrinology, and immunology. During this experience, she gained direct exposure to medical challenges and pathologies, as well as laboratory strategies for diagnosis and monitoring. This exposure to clinical realities, combined with the need to find effective solutions, further fueled her interest in research, driving her to pursue a scientific career focused on new approaches and innovations in the field. In 2024, she resumed her academic activities as a research fellow in the project "Vine & Wine Portugal - Driving Sustainable Growth Through Smart Innovation: B221: New designed molecules to control critical pests and diseases and biocontrol of vineyard pests" at UTAD. Currently, her research focuses on conducting ecotoxicological assays using Eisenia fetida as a model organism, as well as the formulation and preparation of artificial soils for experimentation and subsequent analysis. Throughout this process, she has presented several posters and organized and participated in various scientific outreach activities. CFM is also an active member of the Order of Biologists (Professional License No. 4866) and an active member of the first-year pathway of the Order of Engineers (Professional License No. 97887).