My name is Catarina Teixeira, and since September 2023 I have been working as an Invited Assistant Researcher in the ViiaFOOD project – Plataforma de Valorização, Industrialização e Inovação Agroalimentar. This project, developed in collaboration with research institutions and the food industry, focuses on the development of innovative, high-quality food products. My main responsibilities include product formulation, optimization, and physicochemical and functional characterization according to the needs of industrial partners. I hold a BSc in Biology and an MSc in Clinical and Laboratory Biology. For my master’s thesis, I conducted in vivo studies on the effects of ß1-blockers on liver fibrosis. I subsequently worked as a research fellow on a cancer research project, where I developed animal models and applied biochemical, histological, and molecular techniques. In 2014, I was awarded a PhD grant under the AgriChains programme, and my doctoral research focused on the role of legumes in the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer. As part of my PhD training, I completed an internship at the Universidad de Murcia, where I investigated the prebiotic potential of foods and their effects on satiety, obesity, and gut microbiota. Between 2018 and 2020, I contributed to the ValorMar project, applying green technologies, including enzyme- and electric field-assisted extraction, to the valorization of marine resources for food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic applications. I later joined the Lead4Target project (2020–2021), focusing on ruthenium-based compounds as potential chemotherapeutic agents. From 2022 to 2023, I was involved in the IntegraValor project, developing sustainable strategies for the utilization of agrifood by-products. In parallel, I served as Assistant Professor at the University of Minho, where I taught courses in Cell Biology, Applied Animal Biology, and Animal Physiology and Metabolism, and co-organized the advanced course in Molecular Nutrition. Throughout my career, I have authored or co-authored 20 peer-reviewed scientific publications, accumulating 932 citations and an H-index of 14. Additionally, I have supervised two MSc theses and four BSc projects, guided 14 students in fieldwork and data analysis, and served as a jury member in three academic degree examinations.