My name is Catarina Teixeira, and since September 2023, I have been working as an invited auxiliary researcher in the ViiaFOOD project - Plataforma de Valorização, Industrialização e Inovação Agroalimentar. This project, in collaboration with research institutions and the food industry, focuses on developing innovative, high-quality food products. My responsibilities include food product formulation, optimization, and characterization tailored to industrial partners' needs. I hold a degree in Biology and a master's degree in Clinical and Laboratory Biology. For my master’s thesis, I conducted in vivo experiments to evaluate the effects of a chemical drug on liver fibrosis development. After graduation, I worked as a research fellow on the project Biochemical, Morphological, and Functional Evaluation of Breast Cancer-Induced Muscle Wasting: The Role of Exercise Training. In that project, I developed experimental models, monitored animal protocols, collected biological samples, and performed histological, immunohistochemical, biochemical, and molecular assays. In 2014, I received a PhD grant through the AgriChains program. My PhD research focused on understanding legumes' role in preventing and treating colorectal cancer. During this time, I completed an internship at the Department of Food Technology, Human Nutrition, and Food Science at Universidad de Murcia. There, I explored the prebiotic potential of foods in modulating gut microbiota and bacterial metabolism using in vitro digestion and fermentation models. I also participated in an in vivo experiment to study food effects on satiety regulation, obesity, and gut microbiota. From 2018 to 2020, I was a researcher on the ValorMar project (Full Valorization of Marine Resources: Potential, Technological Innovation, and New Applications), where I applied green technologies, such as enzyme- and electric field-aided extraction, to valorize marine resources. These efforts resulted in novel applications for the food, biomedical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. From 2020 to 2021, I worked as a Postdoctoral researcher on the Lead4Target project - Fighting Metastatic Cancers: Prime Time for Ruthenium, contributing to the development of more selective and effective chemotherapeutic agents. Between July 2022 and June 2023, I worked as a researcher on the IntegraValor project (Integrated Strategy for the Valorization of Agrifood By-Products), which aimed to develop sustainable strategies for utilizing agrifood by-products. Subsequently, I served as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biology, University of Minho, where I taught classes in "Cell Biology," "Applied Animal Biology," and "Animal Physiology and Metabolism." During the academic years 2021–2022 and 2022–2023, I co-organized and taught the advanced course in Molecular Nutrition.  Throughout my career, I have authored or co-authored 19 peer-reviewed publications, including nine as the first author, amassing 779 citations and achieving an H-index of 12.  My work has been recognized with two academic awards. Additionally, I have published 13 abstracts in ISI journals, presented 40 posters, and delivered 11 oral communications at scientific conferences. I have supervised two master’s theses and four bachelor’s projects, provided guidance to seven students in fieldwork and data analysis, and I was on the jury of three academic degrees (two master’s and one doctoral).