After obtaining my bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), I pursued a master’s degree in Laboratorial and Clinical Biology and underwent training at the UTAD Veterinary Hospital (HVUTAD). Afterwards, I joined the Centro Interdisciplinar De Investigação Marinha E Ambiental (CIIMAR) as a research assistant, where I worked within a results-oriented setup, sponsored by an industrial partner, which equipped me with skills crucial to work with translational science. This experience allowed me to develop a strong understanding of the importance of industry-academia collaboration and how it can facilitate the translation of research findings into practical applications. In 2014 I started my Ph.D. at Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS). My PhD was developed in the interface between academia (CIIMAR/ICBAS) and industry (ALGAPlus) and in an international setting as I worked as part of an EU-funded research project. My research focused on the modulation of nutrient metabolism and immune and stress responsiveness in aquaculture species. During my Ph.D., I was awarded a Scientific Mission grant that supported my work as a visiting researcher at Marine Resources & Ecosystem Studies (IMARES)-University of Wageningen, Holland. During my Ph.D., I gained experience in the use of dietary supplementation as a tool to manipulate the host metabolism improving immunity and increasing resistance to infectious diseases. Also, I was actively involved in training by tutoring 3 BSc, 5 MSc, and 2 PhD students within the research team. Overall, during the Ph.D. I published 5 articles in the scope of the thesis and the skills and expertise accumulated were determinant to collaborative works resulting in 8 other publications. Following opportunities to develop my work in infection, I secured a research assistant position at ICVS. My experience in animal experimentation and bacterial infections were crucial to work with the mouse and guinea-pig models of mycobacterial infection. As a result of my expertise in 2021, I was invited to participate as an independent researcher in a collaboration with i3s Institute (Porto). In 2022 I joined Ricardo Silvestre group as an assistant researcher to pursue my goal to work with immunometabolism and infection. My focus was to understand the intricate mechanistic level of connection between metabolism, epigenetic and immune effector functions aiming at designing new immunotherapeutic agents for Leishmaniasis treatment. In 2023 I joined the IMMUNA project, at CIIMAR, working in Benjamin Costas's group. The team aims to explore innovative and sustainable solutions to improve the health and well-being of farmed fish. The team's efforts encompass both a fundamental understanding of the underlying mechanisms and practical collaborations with industry partners.