Chantal Fernandes is a researcher at the Centre for Neurosciences and Cell Biology (CNC), University of Coimbra and is invited to secure Assistant Professor like functions of the curricular unit of Medical Microbiology, Integrated Master's in Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra (FMUC) and keeps yearly teaching collaboration with the Master Course in Biomedical Research, FMUC since 2018. She graduated in Biochemistry at the Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Univ of Coimbra (FCTUC) in 2004 and completed a PhD Degree in Microbiology (FCTUC) in 2009. In 2010, Chantal Fernandes started her Postdoctoral research under the supervision of Teresa Gonçalves at the Medical Microbiology Research Group, at CNC, collaborating as a researcher in a FCT-funding project; soon after she obtained a post-doctoral FCT fellowship. Her post-doctoral project was centered in the study of the filamentous fungus Alternaria infectoria, evaluating the contribution of the modulatory plasticity of fungal cell wall components, chitin, ß-glucan and melanin, by compensatory mechanisms that strongly contribute for resistance against antifungals. The main achievements were obtained in collaboration with Neil Gow, expert in fungal pathogenesis (Univ of Exeter, UK) and Arturo Casadevall (Johns Hopkins Univ, USA), expert in immunity and fungal virulence, both recognized as world leading authorities in Medical Mycology. C Fernandes identified mutations leading to caspofungin resistance, by then the first of a novel group of antifungals, the echinocandins, to be introduced in human health. She determined the relative expression of genes involved in resistance mechanisms; identified 8 isoforms of chitin synthase in A. infectoria (deposited at NCBI databank), 2 of which holding Myosin Motor Domains, playing a crucial role in infection; she developed skills and optimized procedures of evaluation of the susceptibility of fungi to antifungals, such as the minimal inhibitory concentration, based on international standards (EUCAST and CLSI). She optimized protocols for the quantification of the major cell wall components chitin, glucan and melanin. She characterized the DHN-melanin produced by A. infectoria, and with that she become a specialist in Alternaria melanin and its impact in the relation with the infected host. In 2019, C Fernandes got a contract as Junior Researcher, by CNC. She contributed for the preparation of nanoparticles from fungal cell wall and demonstrated them as a tool to study the interaction of fungal cell wall components with phagocytic cells, and showed how the modification of cell wall components in A. infectoria modulate the host response. Lately, in a current collaboration with Jay Slater, FDA (Food and Drug Administration), she optimized the preparation of Alternaria allergens extracts and obtained extracts with higher abundance in protein and complexity and more IgE-reactivity than commercial allergen extracts. She also showed that Alternaria releases allergens by extracellular vesicles. She published a comprehensive revision about the mechanisms of Alternaria pathogenesis in a high impact factor journal. She is supervising 2 PhD students (2023.01320.BD; 2024.02373.BD), supervised/s 7 and co-supervised 4 Master’s degree students, and also undergraduate students, and was member of 8 evaluation panels of academic examinations. She published in 27 papers (9 as first, 3 as corresponding and 5 co-senior author) in indexed international journals, 1 book chapter as senior author, presented 6 oral and 18 posters communications, in national and international meetings, participated in 7 projects, and participates in ad hoc revision of manuscripts for 15 scientific journals.