Dr. Óscar L. Ramos has been a researcher and integrated member of the CBQF (Centre of Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry) since 2018. Recently in 2023, he assumed the role of Senior Researcher at Biorbis (Porto, Portugal). In this capacity, he oversees and leads pioneering projects in food innovation, sustainability, circular economy, agriculture, and advanced materials. As a microbiologist and researcher at the Portuguese Catholic University in 2005, he pioneered innovative systems, including films and coatings. In 2007, He started a PhD at ITQB/Nova University of Lisbon (Lisbon, Portugal), working in collaboration with the CBQF/Portuguese Catholic University (Porto, Portugal). In 2012, he joined the University of Minho (Braga, Portugal) and started work as a post-doctoral researcher, focusing on creating sustainable micro- and nano-delivery systems designed to protect and control the release of biomolecules within food products. In 2018, Oscar took on a senior researcher and R&D Program Manager role at the Portuguese Catholic University (UCP) and Amyris Inc., (a public Californian synthetic biology biotech company), within a collaborative project named “Alchemy”. Over five years, he spearheaded the early-stage development of sustainable and innovative formulations, as well as clean-label products derived from by-products of the fermentation industry.
Dr. Débora A. Campos is a Researcher at Universidade Católica Portuguesa. She holds a PhD degree in Biotechnology and Food Science and Engineering from UCP, since 2019. In 2019, she worked as a Post-Doc Researcher in the New Foods Department at AZTI (Bilbao, Spain), where she developed the H2020 project 'SMARTCHAIN', aiming to accelerate the short food supply chain, under the construction of robust business models and innovative practical solutions. Since 2020, she has been a Post-Doc Researcher at UCP working at The Biobased and Biomedical Products Lab, first under the MULTIBIOREFINERY project financially supported by FCT, studying composition and functional properties of food waste defining sustainable applications for industrial synergies. She was the founder of the start-up AgroGrIN Tech (UCP Spin-off). She was selected by the EIT Food GFV 2018 as a distinguishing PhD student and was selected for the 'EIT Food Innovator Fellowship 2019 as a talent with creative and innovative potential for program training at Cambridge, UK.
Prof. Dr. Cristóbal N. Aguilar is a Head Researcher of the Group of Bioprocesses and Bioproducts of the School of Chemistry at the Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila. He is a chemist and food biotechnologist, with research expertise in the design of Bioprocesses for Food/Pharma/Environment and Fermentation and Enzymatic Technologies. He has a Master in Food Science and Technology (1995, Autonomous University of Chihuahua), a Doctor of Biotechnology (2000, Metropolitan Autonomous University), and a Postdoctoral Stay in Molecular Microbiology (2001. IRD-Marseille, France, and CCRC-UGA, USA). Prof. Aguilar is also a member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences. He was president of the Mexican Society for Biotechnology and Bioengineering and the Mexican Society for Food Science and Biotechnology. His work has been awarded on several occasions, including the 2010 National Prize of Research from the Mexican Academy of Sciences in the area of Technology and Engineering. Also, he has been recognized by the International Bioprocessing Association as an Outstanding Researcher and as a Distinguished Researcher.
