I did my academic education in the University of Porto, in my hometown of Porto, Portugal, where I obtained a graduate degree in Biochemistry (2006) and a PhD degree in Biomedical Sciences (2016). I then pursued a postdoctoral research path by moving to France in late 2016, joining the Unit of Bacteria-Cell Interactions, headed by Pascale Cossart, at the Institut Pasteur, in Paris. Since late 2020, I have been a member of the Epigenetics and Cellular Microbiology (EpiMiC) team, at the Institut Micalis.
A theme transversal to my research career has been understanding the biology and pathogenesis-inducing processes of the Gram-positive bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, the etiological agent of human listeriosis. During my PhD in the lab of Didier Cabanes (i3S, Porto), I studied how sugar modifications of Listeria cell surface polymers impacted the bacterial physiology, antimicrobial resistance and virulence potential. At Institut Pasteur, I explored how Listeria infection of host cells affected the mitochondrial network and revealed mitochondrial factors important for successful bacterial infection. Finally, at Institut Micalis, I have been studying the mechanistic basis of the environmental persistence of Listeria monocytogenes. In particular, the events driving the bacterium into a dormant viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state, in response to environmental starvation. My current research interests are focused in understanding the cellular and molecular bases of these events, as well as those implicated in the revival of VBNC Listeria back into a culturable and pathogenic lifestyle.
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