Department of Food and Nutrition

𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽INL Supervisors: Miguel Cerqueira, Artur MartinsFaculty Supervisor: Maria do Carmo PereiraMy master thesis project was developed at INL, as a part of the Food Processing Group. This project envisioned the development of an oleogel-based emulsion system for delivery of bioactive compounds in foods.

𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗳-𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽Supervisors: Célia Fortuna Rodrigues, Nuno Azevedo, João Mário MirandaThis project envisioned the integration of FISH in microfluidic chips for the detection of microorganisms. This involved an intensive literature review as a build-up to the execution of FISH and its integration in microfluidic platforms.▪️ Learned the principles of cell detection using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).▪️ Fabricated microfluidic platforms by soft lithography.

𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗦𝗠𝗨𝗦+ 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺PhD Student: Wouter StilmanSupervisor: Prof. Dr. Patrick WagnerThis project dealt with the development of a cost-effective, easily scalable biosensor for the detection of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with surface imprinted polymer receptors, envisioning an application in food industry.▪️ Learned the functioning principles of label-free bio- and chemosensors with emphasis on the readout principle of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).▪️ Developed ultrathin, cell-imprinted polyurethane layers by spin-coating, and performed their characterization by microscopy and contact angle measurements.▪️ Applied cell-imprinted polyurethane layers as biomimetic cell receptors for the detection of yeast cells, with further data analysis using Origin Lab.Towards the end of the internship, I had the opportunity to present a poster in the Belgian Physical Society Meeting, in Brussels, and to make a brief oral presentation in front of a specialized audience at the international workshop EnFI 2019 (Engineering of Functional Interfaces 2019), in Leuven. This was a very valuable experience in terms of communication skills and scientific discussion.

𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺I worked in a team of five with fellow students from Eckerd College and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, in the United States, and from the Gengdan Institute of Beijing University of Technology, in China, with the goal of creating a start-up. Our project was one of the Top 7 Finalists for the Nixon Peabody Patent Award.This experience was my first hands-on contact with the entrepreneurial world. Other than the knowledge I acquired in terms of Business, Marketing and the Startup World, at an interpersonal level I consider it to be a cathartic moment, with it playing a great role in the development of soft skills such as communication, leadership and social dynamism.

𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽As an undergraduate student, I had a short-term internship opportunity as a quality control laboratory technician.▪️ Analysis of Port wine samples, including total and volatile acidity measurements, enzymatic analysis of glucose/fructose, acetic, tartaric and malic acid levels, turbidity and alcohol level measurements, etc.▪️ Sensory analysis of cork supplies and interlaboratory comparison studies of Port wine samples.