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Identification

Personal identification

Full name
Afonso Morgado Mota

Citation names

  • Mota, Afonso
  • Afonso Mota

Author identifiers

Ciência ID
9617-6BA5-0402
ORCID iD
0009-0003-0536-9018

Knowledge fields

  • Natural sciences - Biological Sciences - Microbiology
  • Exact Sciences - Physical Sciences - Astronomy

Languages

Language Speaking Reading Writing Listening Peer-review
Portuguese (Mother tongue)
English Proficiency (C2) Proficiency (C2) Proficiency (C2) Proficiency (C2) Proficiency (C2)
Italian Upper intermediate (B2) Upper intermediate (B2) Intermediate (B1) Upper intermediate (B2) Intermediate (B1)
Spanish; Castilian Intermediate (B1) Intermediate (B1) Elementary (A2) Intermediate (B1) Elementary (A2)
Education
Degree Classification
2021/09/20 - 2023/07/21
Concluded
 Biology of Extreme Environments (Laurea Magistrale)
Major in Astrobiology
Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy
"Microbial Survival on Exoplanets: Habitability and the Role of Melanin" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
 110/110 e lode
2018/09/01 - 2021/07/19
Concluded
 Biologia (Licenciatura)
Major in Biologia Molecular e Genética com Minor em Física
Universidade de Lisboa Faculdade de Ciências, Portugal
 18/20
Affiliation

Science

Category
Host institution 		Employer
2022/09/01 - 2023/07/31 Researcher (Research) Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço, Portugal
2022/09/01 - 2023/04/30 Visiting Researcher (Research) Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt DLR Institut für Luft- und Raumfahrtmedizin, Germany
Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt DLR Institut für Luft- und Raumfahrtmedizin, Germany
2022/03/01 - 2022/05/31 Research Trainee (Research) Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II Dipartimento di Biologia, Italy
2021/11/01 - 2021/12/15 Research Trainee (Research) Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II Dipartimento di Biologia, Italy
2019/10/01 - 2020/03/15 Research Trainee (Research) Centro de Ciências do Mar e do Ambiente, Portugal
Outputs

Publications

Conference paper
  1. Sónia Namorado; Diogo Gomes; Diogo Iria; Federico Cestelli; Afonso Mota; Bernardo Alves; João Leal; et al. "Exposure to mercury and associated factors in Portuguese adolescents". Atenas, 2022.
    10.1289/isee.2022.P-0353
  2. Namorado, Sónia; Gomes, Diogo; Iria, Diogo; Cestelli, Federico; Mota, Afonso; Alves, Bernardo; Leal, João; et al. "Mercury exposure in Portuguese adolescents". 2021.
Journal article
  1. Koch, Stella Marie; Freidank-Pohl, Carsten; Siontas, Oliver; Cortesao, Marta; Mota, Afonso; Runzheimer, Katharina; Jung, Sascha; et al. "Aspergillus niger as a cell factory for the production of pyomelanin, a molecule with UV-C radiation shielding activity". Frontiers in Microbiology 14 (2023): http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1233740.
    Published • 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1233740
Preprint
  1. Afonso Mota; Stella Koch; Daniel Matthiae; Nuno Santos; Marta Cortesão. "How habitable are M-dwarf Exoplanets? Modeling surface conditions and exploring the role of melanins in the survival of Aspergillus niger spores under exoplanet-like radiation". 2024. https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.03403.
    10.48550/ARXIV.2403.03403
Thesis / Dissertation
  1. "Microbial Survival on Exoplanets: Habitability and the Role of Melanin". Master, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, 2023. https://rgdoi.net/10.13140/RG.2.2.32201.93286.
    10.13140/RG.2.2.32201.93286
Activities

Oral presentation

Presentation title Event name
Host (Event location)
2023/12/12 An Integrative Approach to Exoplanet Habitability: Joining Biology and Astrophysics "Emergence of life and exobiology" class, Master's in Biology of Extreme Environments
University of Naples "Federico II" (Nápoles, Italy)
2023/11/22 Astrobiology and Exoplanet Habitability: a Holistic Approach Joining Biology and Astrophysics Seminário no Centro de Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto (CAUP)
Centro de Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto (CAUP) (Porto, Portugal)
2023/10/26 Astrobiology and the search for life in the Universe Aula de Microbiologia Ambiental, Licenciatura em Biologia
Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto (Porto, Portugal)
2023/09/22 Beyond the Solar System: Search for Microbial Life on Exoplanets and the Role of Melanin EANA - European Astrobiology Network Association
European Astrobiology Network Association (Madrid, Spain)
2023/09/22 Molding the Future: Harnessing the Radioprotective Power of Black Mold for Bioshielding Applications in Future Space Missions EANA - European Astrobiology Network Association
European Astrobiology Network Association (Madrid, Spain)

Event organisation

Event name
Type of event (Role) 		Institution / Organization
2024/03/21 - 2024/03/21 A vida como não a conhecemos: como descomplicar a astrobiologia? (2024/03/21 - 2024/03/21)
Workshop (Co-organisor)
 Universidade do Minho, Portugal

Event participation

Activity description
Type of event 		Event name
Institution / Organization
2023/09/19 - 2023/09/22 European Astrobiology Network Association (EANA) 2023
Conference
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain
2023/05/22 - 2023/05/26 Launching Space Biology (LSB) Workshop
Workshop
University of Colorado at Boulder, United States
2022/12/08 - 2022/12/09 VAAM Microbiome Symposium - Space Research meets Medical Microbiology
Universitätsklinikum Bonn, Germany
2022/06/16 - 2022/06/17 Molecular Origins of Life Conference 2022
Conference
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany
2021/11/04 - 2021/12/02 Webinar series 2021 on Geobiology
Other
Società Geologica Italiana, Italy
2021/07/21 - 2021/07/26 RED'21 - Rencontres Exobiologiques pour Doctorants 2021
Workshop
2018/06 - 2018/06 26th Portuguese National Competition for Young Scientists
Other
Fundação da Juventude, Portugal
2018/05/13 - 2018/05/18 International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Pittsburgh (USA) in 2018
Other
 International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF)
Society for Science & the Public, United States
2018/04 - 2018/04 XIII National Congress for Scientists in Action
Congress
2017/07 - 2017/07 Portuguese Young Reporters for the Environment 2017
2017/06 - 2017/06 25th Portuguese National Competition for Young Scientists
Other
Fundação da Juventude, Portugal
2016/07 - 2016/07 Portuguese Young Reporters for the Environment 2016
2016/04 - 2016/04 XII National Congress for Scientists in Action
Congress
Distinctions

Award

2023 3rd prize in the Space Factor contest at EANA 2023
European Astrobiology Network Association (EANA), Spain
2022 Best Poster in the VAAM Microbiome Symposium 2022
Vereinigung für Allgemeine und Angewandte Mikrobiologie, Germany
2018 1st prize in the XIII National Congress for Scientists in Action
Centro Ciência Viva de Estremoz, Portugal
2018 "Science" Award
Colégio Valsassina, Portugal
2017 Special Prize "ENVIRONMENT"
Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente, Portugal
2017 2nd prize in the Portuguese Young Reporters for the Environment 2017
2016 1st prize in the XII Portuguese National Congress for Scientists in Action
Centro Ciência Viva de Estremoz, Portugal
2016 1st prize in the Portuguese Young Reporters for the Environment 2016
2016 "Environmental Sensibility" Award
Colégio Valsassina, Portugal

Other distinction

2020 Academic Merit Diploma 2019-2020
Universidade de Lisboa Faculdade de Ciências, Portugal
2019 Academic Merit Diploma 2018-2019
Universidade de Lisboa Faculdade de Ciências, Portugal
2018 Honorable Mention in the FCT Nova Challenge
Universidade Nova de Lisboa Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Portugal