Maria Gaspar has a BSc in Genetics and Biotechnology since 2020 and an MSc in Comparative and Technological Molecular Genetics since 2022 and currently is enrolled in the PhD of Comparative Molecular Genetics at the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro. Under a BSc scientific internship, Maria developed a study about the role of the TGFß1 in squamous cell carcinoma in dogs, under the supervision of Professors Isabel Pires and Justina Prada Oliveira (Laboratory of Histology and Pathological Anatomy-UTAD). Her MSc was focused on a phylogenetic and evolutionary analysis of transposable elements in the wolf (Canis lupus, Canidae, Carnivora) genome with the supervision of Professor Filomena Adega and Doctor Jorge Pereira (Laboratory of Cytogenomics and Animal Genomics-UTAD). Some of the techniques used to develop this work were cell culture, genomic DNA isolation, G-banding and C-banding, Karyotyping, Fluorescence in situ hybridization, and in silico analysis of LINE-1 elements using Geneious. During the last few years, Maria acquired new knowledge through advanced courses such as ‘Cambridge English Level 2’ Certificate in ESOL International (Advanced) (Cambridge Assessment English, August of 2020), ‘Crime Scene Investigation’ (CESPU, July of 2022), ‘Evolutionary Genomics for Plant Models and Crops’ (CIBIO, May of 2023), ‘Introduction to R’ (CIBIO, May of 2023), ‘Course of Ethics and Science’ (UTAD, January to February of 2024), and ‘DNA Metabarcoding, How to design and analyze next-generation data for biodiversity monitoring’ (CIBIO, March of 2024). In 2020, Maria was voluntarily involved in the COVID-19 TaskForce from the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro. In 2023, Maria was selected for a research fellowship position in the project Vine & Wine Portugal: Driving Sustainable Growth Through Smart Innovation (C644866286-00000011) funded by the Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation IP, Portugal. In this fellowship, Maria is responsible for grapevine PCR-SSR genotyping and biochemical and molecular analysis to study the response to abiotic stress of different grapevine varieties. Maria has one publication titled "Combination of Iron and Zinc Enhanced the Root Cell Division, Mitotic Regularity and Nucleolar Activity of Hexaploid Triticale" (doi: 10.3390/plants12132517, Q1, impact factor 4,5). Maria has disseminated her research results to the community with 7 poster communications. Since 2023, Maria has been a member of CITAB as a scholarship researcher, chosen as the host research unit in this application.