Research team
Joana Ferreira-Gomes
Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology
Master’s degree in Infectious Diseases
PhD in Neurosciences
Integrated Master’s degree in Medicine
Joana Ferreira-Gomes is Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP) and Researcher of the Integrated Program in Neurobiology and Neurological Diseases at i3S – Institute for Research and Innovation in Health. She completed her undergraduate degree in Microbiology at the School of Biotechnology of the Portuguese Catholic University in 1999, and her Master’s degree in Infectious Diseases at Imperial College School of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of London, in 2000. She received her PhD in Neurosciences in 2013 from FMUP. And, in 2021, she graduated in Medicine from the same college. She has published more than a dozen scientific articles. Currently, she is mainly dedicated to studying the effect of the microbiome on the gut-brain axis in neurodevelopmental diseases.
Benedita Sampaio-Maia
Degree in Microbiology
PhD in Human Biology
Benedita Sampaio-Maia is Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Dental Medicine of the University of Porto (FMDUP) and Senior Researcher in the “NanoBiomaterials for Targeted Therapies” group at i3S – Institute for Research and Innovation in Health. She graduated in Microbiology from the School of Biotechnology of the Portuguese Catholic University in 1998 and received a PhD in Human Biology from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto. She is the author of more than 60 scientific articles, 7 book chapters and has more than 600 citations. Currently, she is mainly dedicated to studying the role of the human microbiome in health and disease.
Sofia Marques
PhD in Clinical Psychology
Advanced Course on Hyperactivity and Attention Deficit
Teresa Correia de Sá
Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Psychology
PhD Student in Neuroscience
Teresa Correia de Sá completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology at the Faculty of Education and Psychology of the Portuguese Catholic University in 2016, and her master’s degree in Psychology, with a specialization in Clinical and Health Psychology, at the same faculty in 2018. During her master’s degree, she completed a curricular internship at the Hospital Centre of Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho, and developed her dissertation titled “The role of emotion regulation and attachment style in the body satisfaction of athletes”. She later did an international internship (Erasmus+) at the Department of Psychology at Nottingham Trent University as a research assistant. In 2019, she joined the Doctoral Program in Neurosciences at FMUP and ICBAS. She is currently carrying out her doctoral project, titled “Exploring the gut-brain axis in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: the role of the monoaminergic system and microbial metabolites”.
Sofia Pinto
Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition and Food Sciences
Master’s Degree in Paediatric Nutrition
PhD Student in Metabolism – Clinical and Experimental
Sofia Patrícia Sousa Pinto is a nutritionist with a degree in Nutritional Sciences from the Faculty of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Porto (FCNAUP, 2020). She holds a postgraduate degree in Clinical Nutrition and a Master’s in Paediatric Nutrition from the same institution. Currently, she is a PhD fellow with a particular interest in the microbiome-gut-brain axis.
Medical team
Micaela Guardiano
Bachelor’s degree in Medicine
Master’s degree in Molecular Medicine
Special Studies Cycle in Neurodevelopment
Micaela Guardiano is a Paediatrician, Coordinator of the Unit of Neurodevelopmental Paediatrics of the Department of Paediatrics, at the University Hospital Centre of São João. She graduated in Medicine from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto in 1997; completed her master’s degree in Molecular Medicine in 2005, and the Cycle of Special Studies in Neurodevelopment in 2012. She is the author of 35 articles and presented more than one hundred works at National and International Meetings.