Rita Castro was born in 1988, in Kathu, South Africa. She graduated in Biochemistry in 2009 (15/20) and concluded the Master in Applied Biochemistry in 2011 (18/20), both at the Universidade da Madeira (UMa). In 2012, she was awarded a Ph.D. grant from the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), concluding her PhD in 2018 in Chemistry, Specialty in Materials Chemistry, under the scope of the Molecular Materials Research Group (MMRG) at Centro de Química da Madeira (CQM), University of Madeira. Her Ph.D. work was the development of novel DNA/PAMAM dendrimer-based films with potential anticancer drug delivery. The work was done under the supervision of Dr. Helena Tomás (CQM and UMa) and co-supervision of Dr. Ana Paula Pêgo (Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde - i3S, Porto). During the Ph.D., she was able to obtain a novel thin film through an innovative and optimized experimental procedure never reported in the literature. She developed a novel DNA/PAMAM dendrimer-based films through an innovative and optimized experimental procedure never reported in the literature. These materials revealed interesting physical/structural properties, potential applications for cell culture and successful anticancer drug delivery platform. In 2018, she was awarded with a Postdoctoral grant (ARDITI-CQM/2018/020-PDG), to do research with smart materials for biomedical applications. In 2019, she was awarder with a post-doc grant in the scope of the project M1420-09-5369-FSE-000002, to develop a PAMAM dendrimer-based stimuli-responsive drug delivery for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Simultaneously, she was involved in the Project INV2MAC (valorization of invasive plant biomass), being hired as an invited assistant researcher. In 2024, she started a PhD contract as researcher to work on the field of electron microscopy and surface characterization, applied to Nanomaterials and/or Natural Product for biomedical applications. Currently, she is responsible for the Fluorescence Technique Laboratory, lab co-manager of the Biochemistry, Cell Culture Laboratory and Microbiology, as well as the unit manager of several equipments, including Scanning Electron Microscope, Atomic Force Microscope, Confocal Microscope, Contact Angle, Dynamic Light Scattering/Zeta-Potential and Lyophilizer. During her academic and scientific path, she has also given assistance to practical classes, internship (incl. jury member), and master projects under the scope of the Biochemistry degree and Applied Biochemistry Master degree and participated in science dissemination activities. Supervised, in 2021, a master thesis in the gene delivery for osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells. She was invited to lecture during a semester the subject “Cellular and Molecular Characterization Techniques” (theoretical/practical classes, in 2021 and 2024), lecture SEM theoretical/practical classes under the scope of the Biochemistry degree (in 2022), and Laboratory of Biochemistry II (practical classes, in 2024), under the scope of the Master in Applied Biochemistry. She is author/co-author of 13 publications, 1 book chapters, 32 oral presentations (8 international, 20 in CQM Annual meetings, 3 in the scope of cooperation Project and 1 in project dissemination), 14 poster presentations, 14 advanced courses and 19 short courses. Member of the organizing meeting of 2 international conference/symposium and project meeting. Participation in 2 public events for science dissemination and participation/involvement in Annual science dissemination activity “A Química é Divertida” since 2006.