Currently I am a junior researcher in the Cytoskeleton Dynamics lab of Dr. Ana Carvalho at i3S. My primary research interests involve the development of a comprehensive understanding of how the regulation of the actomyosin cytoskeleton during cell and tissue morphogenesis contribute to human diseases. My academic training and research experience have provided me with an excellent background in multiple biology disciplines such as molecular biology, biochemistry, bioinformatics, microbiology and cell biology. In 2011, I gradated my PhD in Biochemisty in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HKPU) and completed a doctoral thesis project in the labs with Prof. Kwok-Yin Wong (Vice-President of HKPU) and Prof. Ruben Abaygan (UCSD, USA) on the discovery of novel molecules that inhibit cytokinesis in antibiotic-resistant bacteria. During my PhD and initial Postdoctoral studies, I worked in close collaboration with organic chemists, biologists, and computational chemists to identify novel antibacterial compounds. This work resulted in three first author publications and two second author papers and opened new lines of research in the lab. Another great achievement in my PhD study was to receive the Eli Lilly Asia Outstanding Graduate Thesis Award in 2011. In order to further expand my methodological horizons and broaden my scientific knowledge in the field of cytokinesis, I joined the Cytoskeletal Dynamics lab of Dr. Ana Carvalho at IBMC/i3S in 2013 to mechanistically study actomyosin driven processes such as the contractile ring in embryonic cytokinesis using the nematode C. elegans as model system. Of particular my current interest is to explore how actin filament crosslinkers contribute to the mechanical properties of the actomyosin network during cytokinesis and other cellular contexts for development of independent research lines including spermatheca, musclar and neuronal organizations, and vulva morphogenesis. Exploring other cellular contexts will shed light on the pathogenesis of diseases involving actin cytoskeleton dysregulation. During the last eleven years, I had the opportunity to develop essential advanced skills on this organism such as microinjection, gene editing using CRISPR/Cas9 and MosSCI techniques, high-resolution live imaging, and in vitro biochemical assays, which are essential to perform my investigations and to establish future independent research lines. I was also involved in collaborative projects with other national and international research groups. I have gained my supervision and mentoring skills by co-supervising two PhD, three MSc students and one internship student with Dr. Ana Carvalho.