Rosario Martins obtained her PhD in Biology (2006) from the Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto. Addressed to the Ecotoxicology of Marine Cyanobacteria from the Portuguese Coast, the project focused on the isolation of cyanobacteria along the Portuguese coast and the assessment of its ecotoxicological potential. Although initially working on the ecotoxicological aspects of marine cyanobacteria, a collaboration with the University of Bergen changed the research direction to the pharmacological potential that these organisms represent. In 2009 she obtained a postdoctoral fellowship at Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMC) directed to the study of marine cyanobacteria as a source of apoptotic compounds. In 2006 she gets the position of Assistant at ESS|P:PORTO and integrate the Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), University of Porto. The interest in cyanobacteria remained as PI in the project _Marine cyanobacteria isolated from the Portuguese coast as a source of bioactive compounds: cytotoxicity against human tumour cells and normal cells (PTDC/MAR/102638/2008). The project contributed to the enrichment of CIIMAR's Blue Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology Culture Collection LEGE-CC with new cyanobacteria strains, to the selection of a set of strains with anticancer potential, to the isolation of hierridin B and C and, posterior to the project, bartolosides. Hierridin B showed a mild selective activity toward HT-29 cancer and was found to induce cytotoxicity by altering VDAC1, mitochondrial activity, and cell cycle genes. Both compounds were also tested for antiplasmodial potential, with hierridin C revealing toxicity against Plasmodium falciparum 3D7strain and the chloroquine resistant Dd2 strain. The compound is under a patent process for its use as an antimalarian agent (https://data.epo.org/gpi/EP3313807B1). After this project she has been involved in several projects aimed at revealing the bioactive potential of cyanobacteria, such as "Bioactive compound discovery from marine cyanobacteria", INNOVMAR, CYANOBESITY and ALGAVALOR where she is responsible, in CIIMAR, for the task involved in the selection and screening of cyanobacteria strains for cosmetic purposes. She is also involved in the project GREENHEALTH where she is responsible in P.PORTO for the task that involves the research on mountain compounds, such as compounds from mushrooms, in the prevention and progression of AD, based on mechanisms such as the inhibition of AChE and BACE1, aggregation and prevention of Aß toxicity, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity. Her main research interests are focused on the potential application of natural compounds, namely from cyanobacteria, in cosmetics and Alzheimer Disease therapies as revealed in the last reviews published in the field (https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-821491-6.00009-0 and https://doi.org/10.3390/md19060343). Since 2019 she is member of the technical committee CT 211 - ALGAS E PRODUTOS DE ALGAS from Instituto Português da Qualidade aiming the standardization in the area of specification, classification, terminology and methods for determining algae (genus) and algae products. She published 37 papers related to cyanobacteria ecotoxicology and bioactivity, two book chapters and is co-inventor of 1 patent. He has been reviewer of international peer-review journals such as Marine Drugs and Algae Research and Gest Editor of the special issues "Bioactive Product from Marine Cyanobacteria" from Marine Drugs|MDPI and "Research on Antimicrobial Activity of Natural Products" from Microorganisms|MDPI. She has been also supervisor and supervisor and co-supervisor of PhD, MSc and BSc students and member of several PhD and MSc Evaluation Committees. Since 2010 she is adjunct professor at ESS|P.PORTO 2010 and integrated member of CIIMAR. Currently her research work is developed between ESS|P.PORTO and CIIMAR, since P.PORTO became collectively integrated in CIIMAR.