Maria Inês Magalhães graduated in Microbiology from the Faculty of Biotechnology of Catolica University in 2021, where she recently obtained a master's degree in Applied Microbiology. Her master's project, funded by the Biocodex Microbiota Foundation grant, focused on the potential role of maternal obesity in the establishment of early-life gut microbiota and consequent immune system development. She has recently been awarded a research grant by NWO (Dutch Research Council) to study the link between the microbiome and the prevalence of oral cavities and obesity in children from vulnerable families. Inês has refined her science communication skills by presenting her master's project's results in national and international conferences, such as AIMS Meeting 2022 and IJUP 2022, but also as an invited speaker in student-organized summits and university lectures. Inês is the author of 3 published papers (DOI: 10.1111/jop.13492; DOI: 10.1007/s12602-023-10116-z; DOI: 10.3290/j.qi.b3957701), and first-author of a literary review accepted for publication by Critical Reviews in Microbiology (impact factor: 6.5; DOI: 10.1080/1040841X.2024.2342427). In a continuous effort to learn new topics and deepen her knowledge, Inês has recently completed a course in bacterial metagenomics and potential applications in the clinical field (conducted by the Faculty of Pharmacy of University of Porto). Her current fields of research include human microbiome, human-microbe interactions, immune system priming and metabolism.