Susana Murtinheira da Trindade Leitão (5B1E-3984-BFEE)

Curriculum Vitae

Susana Murtinheira da Trindade Leitão

Susana T. Leitão is a postdoctoral researcher in molecular quantitative genetics applied to plant breeding. Since May 2023, she is a contracted Junior researcher (CEEC 2022 contract) at Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier da Universidade Nova de Lisboa (ITQB NOVA, Oeiras, Portugal). From 2020-2023, she was a post-doc researcher in the scope of the EU H2020 project DIVERSify - Designing innovative plant teams for ecosystem resilience and agricultural sustainability (ref 727284), in the project Grain Legume Conservation and Breeding Program - Common bean, ref. PDR2020-784-042734, and in the project DiVicia - Use and management of Vicia species for sustainability and resilience in biodiversity-based farming systems. (Call PRIMA Section 2 2019). In March 2020, she completed her Ph.D. in Plant Sciences, awarded by Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and jointly supervised by Carlota Vaz Patto (ITQB NOVA), Susana Araújo (ITQB NOVA), and Diego Rubiales (IAS-CSIC, Córdoba, Spain). Her Ph.D. project focused on abiotic-biotic stress interaction in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) using as case study fusarium wilt and water deficit. She improved the knowledge on the molecular and morphological characterization of the Portuguese common bean germplasm, identified new sources of resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. phaseoli, and accessions more tolerant to water deficit conditions. Also, she contributed to a better understanding of the genetic control of disease resistance and photosynthesis-related traits in common bean, being the first to characterize the genetic structure and to apply association studies in the Portuguese germplasm. Part of the Ph.D. work was developed at IAS-CSIC, Córdoba, Spain. She has also an Integrated Master's degree in Biological Engineering, awarded in 2007 (Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal). Her M.Sc. thesis was developed at the Department of Food Sciences of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and dealt with the release and retention of volatile flavor compounds in beta-glucan matrices using gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). Currently, she is mostly interested in exploring crops' natural genetic variation, resistance to biotic stresses (fungal diseases such as powdery mildew and rust), drought tolerance response, and quality-related compounds to support the development of plants (focus on legumes) with improved traits and multiple resistances to increase the sustainability of agricultural systems. She has been combining phenotypic evaluations with molecular breeding approaches, such as genome-wide association studies (GWAS), quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis, and transcriptomics. She published 18 peer-reviewed papers in international journals, 9 of them as first author, 6 as the corresponding author, co-authored 2 book chapters, and 1 handbook. She contributed to 4 scientific dissemination publications. Her h-index is 11 and her publications have over 253 citations (Scopus, Sept 2024). She contributed with 30 national and international congress presentations, 4 of them oral. In 2017, at the 15th Congress of Mediterranean Phytopathological Union - Plant Health Sustaining Mediterranean Ecosystems, in Córdoba, Spain, she was one of the Best Poster Award winners. She participated as a research fellow in 4 national (FCT-funded) and 4 EU-funded projects, and in research networks, namely within COST Actions FA1208, FA1306 and FP1406.

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Identification

Personal identification

Full name: Susana Murtinheira da Trindade Leitão

Citation names

Leitão, Susana T.
Susana Leitão
Susana Trindade Leitão
Leitão, S.T.
Leitão, ST

Author identifiers

Ciência ID: 5B1E-3984-BFEE
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-6483-0455

Email addresses

sleitao@itqb.unl.pt (Professional)

Addresses

ITQB NOVA, Genetics and Genomics of Plant Complex Traits (PlantX) Laboratory. Avenida da República, 2780-157 , Oeiras, Oeiras, Portugal (Professional)

Websites

https://www.itqb.unl.pt/labs/plantx/group-members/susana-leitao (Professional)

Knowledge fields

Natural sciences - Biological Sciences - Plant sciences
Natural sciences - Biological Sciences - Molecular Biology
Agrarian Sciences - Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries - Plant Breeding and Plant Protection
Agrarian Sciences - Agrarian and Food Biotechnology - Marker Assisted Selection
Engineering and Technology - Chemical Engineering

Languages

Language	Speaking	Reading	Writing	Listening	Peer-review
English	Advanced (C1)	Proficiency (C2)	Advanced (C1)	Proficiency (C2)	Advanced (C1)
Spanish; Castilian	Intermediate (B1)	Upper intermediate (B2)	Intermediate (B1)	Upper intermediate (B2)
French	Beginner (A1)	Intermediate (B1)	Beginner (A1)	Beginner (A1)
Portuguese (Mother tongue)

Education

	Degree	Classification
2022/02/04 - 2022/05/13 Concluded	StartUp Research NOVA (Pós-Graduação) Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal Universidade Nova de Lisboa NOVA SBE Venture Lab, Portugal
2014/02/01 - 2020/03/20 Concluded	Plant Sciences (Doctor of Philosophy) Major in Biology Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal " Ph.D. project "Unravelling the genetic control of combined biotic/abiotic stress resistance in Phaseolus vulgaris L. The fusarium wilt-drought interaction"" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)	Unanimously Approved
1999/09/15 - 2007/10/01 Concluded	Integrated Master in Biological Engineering (Mestrado integrado) Universidade de Lisboa Instituto Superior Técnico, Portugal "Flavour Release from Beta-glucan Matrices" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)	14

Affiliation

Science

	Category Host institution	Employer
2023/05/01 - Current	Contracted Researcher (Research)	Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal

2020/07/01 - 2023/04/30	Contracted Researcher (Research)	Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal
	Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal
2019/04/01 - 2020/06/30	Research Assistant (Research)	Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal
	ITQB NOVA - Genetics and Genomics of Plant Complex Traits Laboratory (PlantX), Portugal
2009/04/01 - 2014/01/31	Research Trainee (Research)	Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal
	ITQB NOVA - Genetics and Genomics of Plant Complex Traits Laboratory (PlantX), Portugal
2008/04/01 - 2009/02/27	Research Trainee (Research)	Universidade dos Açores Centro de Biotecnologia dos Açores, Portugal
	Universidade dos Açores Centro de Biotecnologia dos Açores, Portugal

Others

	Category Host institution	Employer
2021/07/15 - 2021/09/14	2-month period at IAS-CSIC for phenotypic studies under the scope of the PDR2020 Project Grain Legume Conservation and Breeding Program (Common bean)	Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IAS-CSIC), Spain
	Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IAS-CSIC), Spain
2014/02/01 - 2020/03/20	PhD student (FCT individual fellowship SFRH/BD/92160/2013)	Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal
	Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal
2014 - 2016	Four 2-month periods at IAS-CSIC for phenotypic studies under the scope of the PhD project	Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IAS-CSIC), Spain
	Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IAS-CSIC), Spain
2007/03/01 - 2007/08/31	Erasmus student in the University of Copenhagen (Master thesis)	Københavns Universitet - Frederiksberg Campus, Denmark
	Københavns Universitet - Frederiksberg Campus, Denmark

Projects

Grant

	Designation	Funders
2019/04/01 - 2020/06/30	Programa de Conservação e Melhoramento Genético Vegetal em Feijão - Grain Legume Conservation and Breeding Program (Common bean) PDR2020-7.8.4-FEADER-042734 Research Fellow Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal	Programa de Desenvolvimento Rural PDR2020 European Union Ongoing
2018/02/01 - 2019/02/28	DIVERSIFOOD – Embedding crop diversity and networking for local high quality food systems H2020-SFS2014-2, Topic SFS-07a-2014, Grant Agreement Nº 633571 Research Fellow Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal	H2020 Food Security Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry Marine Maritime and Inland Water Research and the Bioeconomy Concluded
2014/02 - 2018/01	Unravelling the genetic control of combined biotic/abiotic stress resistance in Phaseolus vulgaris L. The fusarium wilt-drought interaction SFRH/BD/92160/2013 PhD Student Fellow	Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia Concluded
2014/02 - 2015/12	Exploiting BEan GEnetics for food Quality and Attractiveness innovation PTDC/AGR-TEC/3555/2012 PhD Student Fellow Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal	Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia Concluded
2013/03/01 - 2014/01/31	SOLIBAM - Strategies for Organic and Low-input Integrated Breeding And Management 012/BI-BI/2013 (ITQB NOVA) SOLIBAM-FP7-KBBE-2009-3 Research Fellow Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal	European Commission Concluded
2012/11/01 - 2013/02/28	Exploiting antioxidants, flavours and aromas diversity on ‘broa’ bread maize breeding PTDC/AGR-ALI/099285/2008 Research Fellow Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal	Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia Concluded
2011/01/01 - 2012/11/30	Exploiting transcriptional variation to identify genes underlying quantitative resistance to major grain legume pathogens 135/BI-BI/2010 (ITQB NOVA) PTDC/AGR-GPL/103285/2008 Research Fellow Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal	Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia Concluded
2009/04/01 - 2010/06/30	Exploiting Genetic Variability of Resistance Genes in Major European Food Legumes to Improve Varieties for Sustainable Agriculture ERA-PG/0008/2006 Research Fellow Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal	European Union European Commission Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development Food Agriculture and Fisheries Biotechnology Concluded
2008/04/01 - 2009/03/31	Resistance evaluation of Portuguese Vitis vinifera ssp. sylvestris genotypes to Plasmopora viticola and Uncinula necator infections and genetic characterization of Azorean populations of both pathogens / Molecular mechanisms of berry colour variation in "Verdelho" grapevine POCTI/AGR/60974/2004 M2.1.2/I/011/2007 Research Fellow Universidade dos Açores Centro de Biotecnologia dos Açores, Portugal	Concluded

Contract

	Designation	Funders
2023/05/01 - Current	Connecting the dots: Exploring key biomarkers of multiple resistance in common bean using an integrative multiomics layers approach. The missing link to help disentangle the quality-resistance riddle 2022.00163.CEECIND Researcher Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal	Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia Ongoing
2023 - 2027	BELIS - Breeding European Legumes for Increased Sustainability 101081878 Researcher	Horizon Europe Ongoing
2022 - 2026	DIVINFOOD - Co-constructing interactive short and mid-tier food chains to value agrobiodiversity in healthy plant based food 101000383 Researcher	EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Euratom Ongoing
2023/03/01 - 2024/08/31	Durable resistance against the causal agent of powdery mildew (Erysiphe pisi) in grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.): Exploring transcriptomic variation to develop molecular breeding tools for legumes 2022.08266.PTDC 10.54499/2022.08266.PTDC Researcher Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Portugal	Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia Ongoing
2021 - 2024	DROMAMED - Capitalization of Mediterranean maize germplasm for improving stress tolerance Section 2 Call 2020 - Multi-topic Researcher	Horizon Europe
2020 - 2024	DiVicia - Use and management of Vicia species for sustainability and resilience in biodiversity-based farming systems Call PRIMA Section 2 2019 Researcher	Horizon Europe Ongoing
2021/05 - 2022/04/30	Programa de Conservação e Melhoramento Genético Vegetal em Feijão - Grain Legume Conservation and Breeding Program (Common bean) PDR2020-7.8.4-FEADER-042734 Post-doc Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal	Ongoing
2020/07/01 - 2021/03/31	DIVERSify – Designing InnoVative plant teams for Ecosystem Resilience and agricultural Sustainability Grant agreement ID: 727284 Post-doc Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal	EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Euratom Ongoing
2013/07/01 - 2015/12/31	BeGeQA- Exploração da genética do feijoeiro para a inovação na qualidade e atractividade alimentar PTDC/AGR-TEC/3555/2012 Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible, Spain Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Portugal Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, Portugal Universidade de Lisboa Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Portugal	Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia Concluded

Outputs

Publications

Book chapter	Leitão, Susana T.; Araújo, Susana; Rubiales, Diego; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Abiotic and biotic stresses interaction in Fabaceae plants. Contributions from the grain legumes/soilborne vascular diseases/drought stress triangle". In The Plant Family Fabaceae - Biology and Physiological Responses to Environmental Stresses, edited by Hasanuzzaman, Mirza; Araújo, Susana S.; Singh Gill, Sarvajeet. Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd., 2020. Published • 10.1007/978-981-15-4752-2_9 Vaz Patto, M. C.; Mecha, E.; Pereira, A. B.; Leitão, S. T.; Alves, M. L.; Bronze, M. R.. "Deciphering Grain Legumes Quality Riddle: The Genomics of Bioactive Compounds". In Breeding Grasses and Protein Crops in the Era of Genomics, 118-120. Springer International Publishing, 2018. Published • 10.1007/978-3-319-89578-9_21
Conference poster	Leitão, Susana T.; Mecha, Elsa; Bronze, M. R.; Maria Carlota Vaz Patto. "Genetic basis of Portuguese common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) metabolomic profile for enhancing nutritional quality". Paper presented in 4th International Legume Society, Granada, Spain, 2023. Gonçalves, Letice; Leitão, Susana T.; Rubiales, D.; Maria Carlota Vaz Patto. "Genetic basis of grass pea agronomic traits for precision breeding toward climate change more adapted varieties". Paper presented in 4th International Legume Society, Granada, Spain, 2023. Maravilha, RM; Barros, Pedro; Leitão, Susana T.; Rubiales, Diego; Maria Carlota Vaz Patto; Santos, Carmen. "Comparative transcriptomics reveals accession and time point-specific gene expression patterns in grass pea (Lathyrus sativus) upon Erysiphe pisi infection". Paper presented in 4th International Legume Society, Granada, Spain, 2023. Leitão, Susana T.; Martins, Davide; Sampaio, Ana Margarida; Uberegui, Estefanía; Maria Carlota Vaz Patto. "Mediterranean faba bean germplasm: an important source of water deficit tolerance?". Paper presented in Iberian Plant Biology 2023 (IPB2023), 2023. Leitão, ST; Rubiales, Diego; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Comparison of the genetic basis of common bean response to biotrophic airborne powdery mildew and rust fungi revealed by association studies in the Portuguese germplasm". Paper presented in XVIIIth Eucarpia Biometrics in Plant Breeding Conference, 2022. Leitão, Susana T.; Ferreira, Emanuel; Alves, Mara Lisa; Santos, Daniela; Mendes-Moreira, Pedro; Costa, J. Miguel; Araújo, Susana S.; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Physiological maize landraces breeding: Validating tools for participatory selection approaches.". Paper presented in XVI Congresso Luso-Espanhol de Fisiologia Vegetal. Pamplona, Spain, 2019. Bicho, Maria Catarina; Leitão, Susana T.; Alves, Mara Lisa; Ferreira, Emanuel; Mendes-Moreira, Pedro; Costa, J. Miguel; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Multiple-criteria approach to select drought-resistant maize populations.". Paper presented in DIVERSIFOOD Final Congress: Cultivating diversity and food quality. Rennes, France, 2018. Leitão, Susana T.; Alves, Mara Lisa; Ferreira, Emanuel; Santos, Daniela; Mendes-Moreira, Pedro; Costa, J. Miguel; Araújo, Susana S.; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Field phenotyping of maize landraces under imposed water stress conditions: First steps on the establishment of a physiological breeding approach". Paper presented in Integrative Plant Biology Conference. Poznan, Poland, 2018. Leitão, Susana T.; Rubiales, Diego; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Elucidation of the rust resistance genetic control in Portuguese common bean through a genome-wide association study.". Paper presented in 15th Congress of Mediterranean Phytopathological Union - Plant Health Sustaining Mediterranean Ecosystems. Córdoba, Spain, 2017. Leitão, Susana T.; Rubiales, Diego; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Portuguese common bean landraces vs. Fusarium oxysporum: a diverse array of resistances (first steps into an unexploited source for resistance breeding)". Paper presented in 4th Annual and Final Meeting COST Action Sustain (FA1208). Bled, Slovenia, 2017. Leitão, Susana T.; Araújo, Susana S.; Rubiales, Diego; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Core collection multiple stress screening to unlock the breeding potential of Portuguese common bean germplasm". Paper presented in 3rd general COSTFA1405 Meeting. Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2017. Leitão, Susana T.; Alves, Mara Lisa; Rubiales, Diego; Araújo, Susana S.; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Genome-wide association study of common bean disease resistance in Portuguese germplasm". Paper presented in 2nd International Legume Society Conference. Tróia, Portugal, 2016. Leitão, Susana T.; Mecha, Elsa; Alves, Mara Lisa; Istas, G.; Feliciano, R.; Rodriguez-Mateos, A.; Bronze, Maria; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Genome-wide association study for common bean phenolic compounds in Portuguese germplasm". Paper presented in 20th EUCARPIA General Congress. Zurich, Switzerland, 2016. Leitão, Susana T.; Alves, Mara Lisa; Rubiales, Diego; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Exploiting the forgotten common bean landrace phenotypes: Disease resistance and genomic data integration". Paper presented in 2nd general COST FA1306 Meeting. Copenhagen, Denmark, 2016. Almeida, Nuno Felipe; Leitão, Susana T.; Alves, Mara Lisa; Rubiales, Diego; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "The pursuit of effector targets in Lathyrus cicera rust resistance QTLs". Paper presented in 3rd Annual Conference of the COST Action Sustain (FA1208). Banyuls sur Mer, France, 2016. Leitão, Susana T.; Satovic, Zlatko; Maria Manuela Veloso; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Portuguese common bean performing live at the world diversity stage". Paper presented in Research in Plant Genetics (From Mendel's peas to the present) Conference. Brno, Czech Republic, 2015. Leitão, Susana T.; Bicho, Maria Catarina; Araújo, Susana S.; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Phenotyping Portuguese common bean germplasm for drought tolerance". Paper presented in 1st General Meeting Cost FA 1306. IPK Gatersleben, Germany, 2015. Leitão, Susana T.; Rubiales, Diego; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Unveiling the potential of Portuguese common bean varieties to genetics improvement: Rust and fusarium wilt resistance". Paper presented in Eucarpia International Symposium on protein Crops. Pontevedra, Spain, 2015. Leitão, Susana T.; Bicho, Maria Catarina; Araújo, Susana S.; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Common bean phenostressomics: Screening Portuguese common bean germplasm for disease and drought resistance.". Paper presented in COST FA1306 Plant Phenotyping WG2 Meeting, Carcavelos, Portugal, 2015. Leitão, Susana T.; Tomás, Diana; Dinis, Marco; Satovic, Zlatko; Veloso, Maria Manuela; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Take a walk on the bean side: The Portuguese genetic diversity". Paper presented in 6th International Food Legumes Research Conference (IFLRC VI) and 7th International Conference on Legume Genetics and Genomics (ICLGG VII). Saskatoon, Canada, 2014. Almeida, Nuno Felipe; Alves, Mara Lisa; Leitão, Susana T.; Rubiales, Diego; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Chickling pea (Lathyrus cicera L.) resistance to rust and powdery mildew under QTLs scrutiny". Paper presented in 6th International Food Legumes Research Conference (IFLRC VI) and 7th International Conference on Legume Genetics and Genomics (ICLGG VII). Saskatoon, Canada, 2014. Leitão, Susana T.; Dinis, Marco; Alves, Mara Lisa; Almeida, Nuno Felipe; Satovic, Zlatko; Rubiales, Diego; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "How resistant are the Portuguese common bean traditional landraces to powdery mildew and rust fungi?". Paper presented in VI International Conference on Legume Genetics and Genomics (VI ICLGG). Hyderabad, India, 2012. Almeida, Nuno Felipe; Leitão, Susana T.; Rotter, Bjorn; Winter, Peter; Rubiales, Diego; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Differential expression in Lathyrus sativus and Lathyrus cicera transcriptomes in response to rust (Uromyces pisi) infection". Paper presented in VI International Conference on Legume Genetics and Genomics (VI ICLGG). Hyderabad, India, 2012. Leitão, Susana T.; Almeida, Nuno Felipe; Satovic, Zlatko; Rubiales, Diego; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Can cross-species transferable molecular markers be useful on genetic diversity studies?". Paper presented in VI International Conference on Legume Genetics and Genomics (VI ICLGG). Hyderabad, India, 2012. Leitão, Susana T.; Dinis, Marco; Alves, Mara Lisa; Almeida, Nuno Felipe; Mendes-Moreira, Pedro; Satovic, Zlatko; Rubiales, Diego; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Establishing the basis for disease resistance genetic studies on Portuguese common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) germplasm". Paper presented in XXXVII Portuguese Genetics Conference. Lisbon, Portugal, 2012. Alves, Mara Lisa; Dinis, Marco; Leitão, Susana T.; Satovic, Zlatko; Mendes-Moreira, Pedro; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Portuguese maize and common bean landraces II – An ancient association under molecular scrutiny". Paper presented in SOLIBAM 1st Stakeholder congress - Shaping the future of agriculture: The role of diversity in low input and organic cropping systems. Grottaferrata, Italy, 2012. Leitão, Susana T.; Alves, Mara Lisa; Almeida, Nuno Felipe; Satovic, Zlatko; Mendes-Moreira, Pedro; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Settling the potential of Portuguese maize germplasm for association studies". Paper presented in XXII EUCARPIA Maize and Sorghum Conference. Opatija, Croatia, 2011. Almeida, Nuno Felipe; Leitão, Susana T.; Rotter, Björn; Winter, Peter; Rubiales, Diego; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Development of molecular tools for Lathyrus cicera using normalized cDNA libraries". Paper presented in 9th Plant Genomics European Meeting (Plant GEM). Istanbul, Turkey, 2011. Leitão, Susana T.; Mendonça, Duarte; da Câmara Machado, Artur. "Identification and characterization of the molecular mechanisms implicated in the colour of grape berry". Paper presented in XVI National Congress of Biochemistry. Ponta Delgada, S. Miguel, Azores, Portugal., 2008.
Journal article	Santos, Carmen; Leitão, Susana Trindade. "The Exceptionally Large Genomes of the Fabeae Tribe: Comparative Genomics and Applications in Abiotic and Biotic Stress Studies". Agriculture 14 1 (2023): 77. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14010077. Published • 10.3390/agriculture14010077 Leitão, Susana Trindade; Rubiales, Diego; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Identification of novel sources of partial and incomplete hypersensitive resistance to rust and associated genomic regions in common bean". BMC Plant Biology 23 1 (2023): http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12870-023-04619-8. Published • 10.1186/s12870-023-04619-8 Leitão, Susana Trindade; Mendes, Francisco Azevedo; Rubiales, Diego; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Oligogenic control of quantitative resistance against powdery mildew revealed in Portuguese common bean germplasm". Plant Disease (2023): http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/pdis-02-23-0313-re. Published • 10.1094/pdis-02-23-0313-re Mecha, Elsa; Erny, Guillaume L.; Guerreiro, Ana C.L.; Feliciano, Rodrigo P.; Barbosa, Inês; Bento da Silva, Andreia; Leitão, Susana T.; et al. "Metabolomics profile responses to changing environments in a common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) germplasm collection". Food Chemistry 370 (2022): 131003. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131003. 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131003 Mendes, Francisco A.; Leitão, Susana T.; Correia, Verónica; Mecha, Elsa; Rubiales, Diego; Bronze, Maria Rosário; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Portuguese Common Bean Natural Variation Helps to Clarify the Genetic Architecture of the Legume’s Nutritional Composition and Protein Quality". Plants 11 1 (2021): 26. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/plants11010026. 10.3390/plants11010026 Leitão, Susana T.; Alves, Mara Lisa; Pereira, Priscila; Zerrouk, Aziza; Godinho, Bruno; Barradas, Ana; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Towards a Trait-Based Approach to Potentiate Yield under Drought in Legume-Rich Annual Forage Mixtures". Plants 10 9 (2021): 1763. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/plants10091763. 10.3390/plants10091763 Leitão, Susana T.; Santos, Carmen; Araújo, Susana de Sousa; Rubiales, Diego; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Shared and tailored common bean transcriptomic responses to combined fusarium wilt and water deficit". Horticulture Research 8 1 (2021): http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41438-021-00583-2. Published • 10.1038/s41438-021-00583-2 Mecha, Elsa; Natalello, Sofia; Carbas, Bruna; da Silva, Andreia Bento; Leitão, Susana T.; Brites, Carla; Veloso, Maria Manuela; et al. "Disclosing the Nutritional Quality Diversity of Portuguese Common Beans - The Missing Link for Their Effective Use in Protein Quality Breeding Programs". Agronomy 11 2 (2021): 221. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11020221. Published • 10.3390/agronomy11020221 Leitão, Susana Trindade; Bicho, Maria Catarina; Pereira, Priscila; Paulo, Maria João; Malosetti, Marcos; Araújo, Susana de Sousa; van Eeuwijk, Fred; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Common bean SNP alleles and candidate genes affecting photosynthesis under contrasting water regimes". Horticulture Research 8 4 (2021): http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41438-020-00434-6. Published • 10.1038/s41438-020-00434-6 Leitão, Susana T.; Malosetti, Marcos; Song, Qijan; van Eeuwijk, Fred; Rubiales, Diego; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Natural Variation in Portuguese Common Bean Germplasm Reveals New Sources of Resistance Against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. phaseoli and Resistance-Associated Candidate Genes". Phytopathology™ 110 3 (2020): 633-647. http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/phyto-06-19-0207-r. Published • 10.1094/phyto-06-19-0207-r Leitão, Susana T.; Emanuel Ferreira; M. Catarina Bicho; Alves, Mara Lisa; Duarte Pintado; Daniela Santos; Mendes-Moreira, Pedro; et al. "Maize Open-Pollinated Populations Physiological Improvement: Validating Tools for Drought Response Participatory Selection". Sustainability (2019): https://doi.org/10.3390/su11216081. Published • 10.3390/su11216081 Mecha, Elsa; Leitão, Susana T.; Bronze, Maria; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota. "Characterization of Soaking Process’ Impact in Common Beans Phenolic Composition: Contribute from the Unexplored Portuguese Germplasm". Foods (2019): http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/foods8080296. Published • 10.3390/foods8080296 Santos, Carmen; Almeida, Nuno Felipe; Alves, Mara Lisa; Horres, Ralf; Krezdorn, Nicolas; Leitão, Susana T.; Aznar-Fernández, Thaïs; et al. "First genetic linkage map of Lathyrus cicera based on RNA sequencing-derived markers: Key tool for genetic mapping of disease resistance". Horticulture Research 5 1 (2018): http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41438-018-0047-9. 10.1038/s41438-018-0047-9 Leitão, Susana T.; Dinis, Marco; Veloso, M.M.; Šatovic, Z.; Vaz Patto, M.C.. "Establishing the bases for introducing the unexplored portuguese common bean germplasm into the breeding world". Frontiers in Plant Science 8 (2017): http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85026427602&partnerID=MN8TOARS. Published • 10.3389/fpls.2017.01296 Almeida, N.F.; Leitão, S.T.; Caminero, C.; Torres, A.M.; Rubiales, D.; Vaz Patto, M.C.. "Transferability of molecular markers from major legumes to Lathyrus spp. for their application in mapping and diversity studies". Molecular Biology Reports 41 1 (2014): 269-283. http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84891944055&partnerID=MN8TOARS. Published • 10.1007/s11033-013-2860-4 Almeida, N.F.; Leitão, Susana T.; Krezdorn, N.; Rotter, B.; Winter, P.; Rubiales, Diego; Vaz Patto, M.C.. "Allelic diversity in the transcriptomes of contrasting rust-infected genotypes of a lasting resource for smart breeding". BMC Plant Biology 14 1 (2014): http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84923873464&partnerID=MN8TOARS. Published • 10.1186/s12870-014-0376-2 Leitão, S.T.; Almeida, N.F.; Moral, A.; Rubiales, D.; Vaz Patto, M.C.. "Identification of resistance to rust (Uromyces appendiculatus) and powdery mildew (Erysiphe diffusa) in Portuguese common bean germplasm". Plant Breeding 132 6 (2013): 654-657. http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84901260871&partnerID=MN8TOARS. Published • 10.1111/pbr.12094 Christensen, N.J.; Da Trindade Leitão, S.M.; Petersen, M.A.; Jespersen, B.M.; Engelsen, S.B.. "A quantitative structure-property relationship study of the release of some esters and alcohols from barley and oat ß-glucan matrices". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 57 11 (2009): 4924-4930. http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-67149102439&partnerID=MN8TOARS. Published • 10.1021/jf803799z
Magazine article	Maria Carlota Vaz Patto; Susana Trindade Leitão; Mara Lisa Alves; Letice Gonçalves; Ana Margarida Sampaio; Andreia Bento da Silva; Santos, Carmen; Davide Martins; Matilde Sanches. "Chícharo - da tradição à inovação. Quando a investigação fundamental abraça a investigação participativa: O caso do chícharo de Alvaiázere", Revista do Centro de Competências para a Dieta Mediterrânica, 2020 "Feijão português: uma mistura genética singular (estudo da diversidade do germoplasma português)", Vida Rural, 2017, www.vidarural.pt.
Manual	Kiær Lars; Scherber, Christoph; Weih Martin; Diego Rubiales Olmedo; Tavoletti Stefano; Adam E; Maria Carlota Vaz Patto; et al. Handbook for trait assessment in agricultural plant teams. EU-H2020 project DIVERSify (‘Designing innovative plant teams for ecosystem resilience and agricultural sustainability’), funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under Grant Agreement Number 727824.. 2020. Published
Thesis / Dissertation	Leitão, Susana T.. "Unravelling the genetic control of combined biotic/abiotic stress resistance in Phaseolus vulgaris L. The fusarium wilt-drought interaction". PhD, Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, 2020. Leitão, Susana T.. "Flavour release from beta-glucan matrices". Master, Universidade de Lisboa Instituto Superior Técnico, 2007.

Activities

Oral presentation

	Presentation title	Event name Host (Event location)
2022/06/03	Candidate genes involved in common bean response to fusarium wilt and water deficit revealed by genome wide association study and transcriptomics approaches	EcoLeg workshop in the framework of the PRIMA DiVicia project PRIMA DiVicia project
2021/02/03	Shared and tailored common bean transcriptomic responses to combined fusarium wilt and water deficit	SCAN - Scientific Seminars ITQB NOVA
2021/01/18	Across time analysis of morphological and physiological traits in grassland plant mixtures versus monocultures	Intercropping for sustainability. Research developments and their application Association of applied biologists
2019/06/26	Physiological maize landraces breeding: Validating tools for participatory selection approaches (presenting author Vaz Patto, MC)	XVI Congresso Luso-Espanhol de Fisiologia Vegetal Portuguese and Spanish Societies of Plant Physiology (Pamplona, Spain)
2016/07/08	Green-IT Annual Meeting - Thematic Line 1 – Innovation in Plant Improvement: Unravelling the genetic control of combined biotic/abiotic stress resistance in Phaseolus vulgaris L. (presenting author Leitão, ST)	2016 Green-IT Annual Meeting GREEN-IT Research Unit (ITQB NOVA) (Oeiras, Portugal)
2013/05/11	Where does Portugal stand in a world of diverse common bean? (presenting author Leitão, ST)	First Legume Society Conference International Legume Society, Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops (Novi Sad, Serbia)
2012/09/10	Comparison of photosynthetic parameters in a collection of Portuguese common bean traditional varieties: settling the basis for drought resistance studies (presenting author Leitão, ST)	Ecophysiology Techniques Workshop British Ecological Society and Society for Experimental Biology (Lisbon, Portugal)

Supervision

	Thesis Title Role	Degree Subject (Type) Institution / Organization
2022/10/01 - 2026/09/30	“Understanding the genetic control and mechanisms of resistance to pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum H.) in grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.)” Co-supervisor	Plants for Life PhD program (PhD) Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal
2020/09/01 - 2022/02	Genome-wide association study for nutritional composition and protein quality related traits in a Portuguese collection of common bean Supervisor	Master in Biotechnology for Sustainability (Master) Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal

Event organisation

	Event name Type of event (Role)	Institution / Organization
2016 - 2016	The Second International Legume Society Conference (ILS2), held in Tróia (Lisbon), Portugal. A conference with more than 370 attendees coming from more than 50 countries. The meeting was a fruitful forum to update and discuss the achievements in legume research. (2016/10/11 - 2016/10/14) Conference (Member of the Organising Committee)	Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal International Legume Society, Italy

Event participation

	Activity description Type of event	Event name Institution / Organization
2022/02/04 - 2022/05/13	The StartUp Research is a Post-Graduation program collaboratively built by scientists and entrepreneurs from ITQB NOVA and NOVA SBE designed to create awareness in researchers of the value their science can generate. The Program provide Life Sciences researchers with knowledge about Innovation management, soft and entrepreneurship skills. Workshop	StartUp Research NOVA Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal Universidade Nova de Lisboa NOVA SBE Venture Lab, Portugal
2021/11/10 - 2021/11/10	ITQB NOVA researchers visit schools (elementary, middle, and high school), preferably in the municipality of Oeiras, and talk to students about their research areas or about the daily life of an investigator. Workshop	Scientist goes to school Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal
2021/05/30 - 2021/05/30	Dedicated areas with on-demand content will allow you to discover exhibitions in a 3D environment, learn more about our laboratories, discover scientific equipment and get to know the activities of the School Science Clubs supported by ITQB NOVA, and much more. Virtual visit to the greenhouses to get to know plant research, find out more about the laboratories and discover the future that science is building. Exhibition	ITQB NOVA 2021 Virtual Open Day Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal
2021/05/18 - 2021/05/18	Celebrating the International Day of the Fascination of Plants, the week from May 17th to 21st is dedicated to plants, their research, and their importance in agriculture and horticulture. Seed germination project of rice and beans at different growing conditions with preschool kids. Workshop	Fascination of Plants Day Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal
2018/04/03 - 2018/04/06	“Plant physiology meets phytopathology: exploring Pinus-Fusarium circinatum” - Training school of COST Action FP1406 organized by Aveiro University Workshop	COST Action FP1406 PINESTRENGHT – Training school European Cooperation in Science and Technology, Belgium
2018/04 - 2018/04	Design Thinking 2-day course, given by and Joana Marques e Guilherme Vitorino (NOVA Doctoral School) Other	Design Thinking Course NOVA Doctoral School - Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal
2012 - 2018	Volunteer during the Fascination of Plants Day that aims to help the community to learn more about plants, their role in our life and in the sustainability of the planet. Exhibition	Fascination of Plants Day Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal
2017/03/13 - 2017/03/17	Biotic Stress: Breeding crops with resistance to diseases and pests, one full-week course given by Yuling Bai & Willem Jan de Kogel (Wageningen University, The Netherlands), integrated into the international Master in Plant Breeding of IAMZ (Zaragoza) Other	Biotic Stress: Breeding crops with resistance to diseases and pests International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM), France Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza (IAMZ), Spain
2017/01/23 - 2017/01/27	Genotype x Environment Interaction, one full-week course given by Fred van Eeuwijk and Marcos Malosetti (Wageningen University, The Netherlands), integrated into the international Master in Plant Breeding of IAMZ (Zaragoza) Other	Genotype x Environment Interaction Course Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza (IAMZ), Spain International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM), France
2010 - 2017	Volunteer for the ITQB NOVA Open day - During this day, ITQB NOVA opens its doors to the community that is invited to learn more about science, talk with researchers. participate in scientific activities and visit the institute facilities Exhibition	ITQB NOVA Open day Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal
2016/03/04 - 2016/03/07	Research Skills Development 3-day course, given by Roberto Henriques, João Cordeiro and Guilherme Victorino (NOVA Doctoral School) Other	Research Skills Development Course NOVA Doctoral School - Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal
2014/06/23 - 2014/06/25	Science Communication (Reading, Writing, and Presenting) 3-day Course, with Ana Sanchez, António Gramado, Vasco Trigo, Joana Lobo Antunes e Romeu Costa. Workshop	Science Communication Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal
2012/12/04 - 2012/12/07	Biostatistical Foundations in Bioinformatics 4-day course	Biostatistical Foundations in Bioinformatics The Gulbenkian Training Programme in Bioinformatics, Portugal
2012/09/10 - 2012/09/15	Ecophysiology Techniques 5-day workshop Workshop	Ecophysiology Techniques Workshop Society for Experimental Biology, United Kingdom
2011/01/19 - 2011/01/21	Genetic Architecture of Complex Traits 3-day Bioinformatics Course Other	Genetic Architecture of Complex Traits The Gulbenkian Training Programme in Bioinformatics, Portugal
2010/03/08 - 2010/03/12	Introductory Bioinformatics 5-day course Other	Introductory Bioinformatics The Gulbenkian Training Programme in Bioinformatics, Portugal
2009/06/15 - 2009/06/19	Molecular Markers and Population Genetics 5-day Bioinformatics course Other	Molecular Markers and Population Genetics The Gulbenkian Training Programme in Bioinformatics, Portugal

Jury of academic degree

	Topic Role	Candidate name (Type of degree) Institution / Organization
2024/05/16	Common bean T2 S-like ribonucleases during situations of high nutrient mobilization (Thesis) Arguer	Maria Mercedes Díaz Baena (PhD) Universidad de Córdoba, Spain
2024/03/13	Pea genetic breeding to enhance rust resistance in Mediterranean environments (Thesis) Arguer	Salvador Osuna Caballero (PhD) Universidad de Córdoba, Spain

Course / Discipline taught

	Academic session	Degree Subject (Type)	Institution / Organization
2023/05/15 - 2023/05/15	Lecture in the Curricular Unit: Methods in Eco-Physiology and Plant Interactions of the International PhD program in Plant Sciences - Plants for Life. Title: Screening techniques of root diseases in legume plants - fusarium wilt as case study	(Doutoramento)	Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal
2021/04/01 - 2021/04/01	Practical lecture in the Curricular Unit: Modern Strategies in Plant Breeding of the International PhD program in Plant Sciences - Plants for Life. Title: QTL linkage mapping and Association studies.	(Doutoramento)	Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal
2021/03/09 - 2021/03/09	Lecture in the Curricular Unit: Plant Biotechnology for agriculture and forestry of the Master in Biotechnology for Sustainability. Title: "Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of drought tolerance and disease resistance. A case study using the Portuguese common bean germplasm"	(Mestrado)	Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal

Journal scientific committee

	Journal title (ISSN)	Publisher
2021/08 - Current	Plants (2223-7747 )	MDPI
2021 - Current	Frontiers in Plant Sciences (1664-462X)	Frontiers
2021 - Current	Biochemical Genetics (1573-4927)	Springer
2021 - Current	Agronomy (2073-4395)	MDPI
2020 - Current	BMC Genomics (1471-2164)	Springer Nature
2020 - Current	The Journal of Agricultural Science ( 0021-8596 (Print), )	Cambridge University Press

Mentoring / Tutoring

	Topic	Student name
2022/07/04 - 2022/07/08	Common bean controlled crosses evaluation: From DNA extraction to microsatellite screening	Gonçalo Almeida
2021/03 - 2021/06	Genetic improvement of potatoes and production of bioplastics.	Ana, Camila, Joana e Gonçalo (ESLFB)
2019/07/03 - 2019/08/09	Comparison of performance of four annual forage mixtures and their 10 individual components under water deficit conditions.	Aziza Zerrouk

Other jury / evaluation

	Activity description	Institution / Organization
2023 - 2023	Invited researcher to discuss and evaluate the Post-graduation Scientific Research Training A of Maria Beatriz Vieira entitled "Whole-genome analysis and identification of molecular markers for rice varietal discrimination"	Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Portugal

Distinctions

Award

2017	Best Conference Poster Award Mediterranean Phytopathological Union, Italy

Other distinction

2023	Research Contract (Junior Researcher) by Stimulus of Scientific Employment, Individual Support 2022 program Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal
2022	Scholarship to participate in StartUp Research NOVA Course Oeiras Municipality, Portugal
2018	Grant to participate in Training School within COST Action FP1406 European Cooperation in Science and Technology, Belgium
2016	Grant for a Short Term Scientific Mission (STSM) within COST Action FA1306 European Cooperation in Science and Technology, Belgium
2014	Grant for a Short Term Scientific Mission (STSM) within COST Action FA1208 European Cooperation in Science and Technology, Belgium
2013	FCT individual PhD fellowship SFRH/BD/92160/2013 Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal