I am currently a research fellow at NemaLab, MED, University of Évora, working in NemaWAARS FCT project - “A motif to unveil mechanisms of parasitism gene regulation in the pinewood nematode as a target for disease control and plant resistance” (10.54499/PTDC/ASP-PLA/1108/2021) -, since June of 2022, under the guidance of Dr. Margarida Espada. I obtained a Degree in Biochemistry in the University of Beira Interior (2015-2019) and a Master’s degree in Microbiology in the University of Aveiro (2019-2021). I developed my master's thesis titled “Detection of Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. in water and fresh vegetables” in the Parasitology laboratory of Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr. Ricardo Jorge (INSA). In the last few years, I acquired and improved many laboratory skills, including molecular biology techniques (DNA and RNA extraction, cDNA synthesis, in situ hybridization, qPCR, gene cloning) and genetic techniques (RNAi silencing assays) and microscopy. Throughout this research fellowship, I had the opportunity to participate in national and international congresses, published 3 divulgation articles and a scientific paper entitled “Functional characterization of Shk Domain-Containing Protein in the Plant-Parasitic Nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus” https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13030404 (Q1 in Plant sciences and IF 4.5). Moreover, I have co-supervised two undergraduate students. Recently, in 2023, I started my PhD journey in Biology at the University of Évora, on the topic “Functional characterization of parasitism-related genes in the pinewood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus”. The objective of my research is to study the molecular plant-nematode interactions between the pinewood nematode (B. xylophilus) and the host (Pinus spp.). Furthermore, this study aims to understand how parasitism is regulated.