Project: Fiber2Fiber - developing bioremediation strategies that use plants, fungi, and bacteria as biological agents capable to modify the chemical structures of toxic asbestos fibers.Tasks/skills acquired: Performing plant growth experiments in greenhouse and climate chambers using millet, incubating fungi and bacteria with asbestos fibers, testing whether bacteria interactions with fungi led to the promotion of the capacity of fungi to degrade asbestos. Data analysis using R and ImageJ and student supervision and training.

Thesis title: Plant growth-promoting microbes impact on plant performance, resilience, and rhizosphere microbiome assemblyTasks/skills acquired: Performing plant growth experiments in the greenhouse and climate chambers, with normal and quarantined plants and microbes inoculation, measurement of the plant biomass, root staining for AMF quantification, DNA extraction for Sanger and Amplicon sequencing, PCR, and gel visualization. Performing data analysis using R for determining the effect of the microbes inoculation in the rhizosphere microbiome assembly, plant performance, and reduction of Striga seeds germination using chrysanthemum and sorghum.

Massages, face, and body treatments, facial and body evaluation, pedicure, manicure, laser hair removal, waxing.

Project: WINE YEAST GENES – Looking for the responsible genes for the extraordinary performance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the final phases of wine fermentation (PTDC/AGR-ALI/112795/2009).Tasks/Skills acquired: characterization of the fermentative profile of several single deletion mutants related to membrane permeability and cell wall structure. Characterization of their cell viability and apoptosis markers using fluorescence microscopy and cell permeability to protons. Preparation of synthetic must and nutrients evaluation during the fermentation process.

Project title: Morphogenetic classification of Colletotrichum isolates associated with Cape Verde banana plant.Tasks/skills acquired: isolation of fungi responsible for anthracnosis from banana leaves and fruits, spore and appressoria morphological analysis, DNA extraction, PCR, and data analysis.