Gonçalo Almeida is an Assistant Researcher in Food Microbiology at the National Institute of Agricultural and Veterinary Research (INIAV), where he has worked since 2017. Since 2020, he has also served as the Deputy Director of the Food Safety Unit at INIAV, located at Polo de Vairão. He holds a PhD in Biotechnology, specializing in Microbiology, from the Escola Superior de Biotecnologia—Universidade Católica Portuguesa (ESB-UCP), and a degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Porto—Faculty of Pharmacy. His professional background includes leading the microbiology laboratory at the university extension of ESB-UCP, where he collaborated with the food industry on various projects related to microbial contamination, shelf-life determination, and microbial deterioration. Gonçalo Almeida has also
worked as an academic teaching food microbiology and general microbiology courses and has frequently contributed as a guest speaker in seminars and workshops. Additionally, he participates in activities at the Food Safety National Reference Laboratories. His primary research interests are centered around food safety and zoonotic bacteria, specifically focusing on Listeria monocytogenes, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, and Campylobacter spp.
