Postdoctoral Researcher

Soraia Pinto concluded her PhD in the Doctoral Program in Biomedical Sciences (Jul 2024) at School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS), UPorto, supported by a Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) grant. Her PhD was conducted under a partnership between Nanomedicines and Drug Delivery (NTDD) group from Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S), University of Porto, and the University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands. Soraia Pinto also got a master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, in 2018. Her current areas of interest include biomaterials, type 2 diabetes mellitus-targeted therapies, and intestinal target. Soraia Pinto has developed extensive work in the field of nanotechnology since 2018, which was translated in the publication of 18 articles in international peer reviewed journals (6 as first-author and 12 as co-author; h-index: 8; > 300 citations, Scopus), and 3 book chapters (1 as first-author, and 2 as co-author). She also participated in national and international conferences with 25 poster presentations and 6 oral presentations. She was recognized with 3 distinctions: an honorable mention, a second-best poster presentation, and a Junior Scientist fellowship grant to participate in an international conference. Soraia Pinto alongside three fellow researchers, was congratulated with the “Spin Your Thesis” grant (2020) supported by the European Space Agency (ESA) under the project “The effect of hypergravity in the intestinal permeability of nanoformulations and molecules”. Soraia Pinto was also enrolled in collaborative projects with academic institutions and pharmaceuticals industries (e.g., Ferring Pharmaceuticals and Aché from Brazil, and Vifor Pharma and Ferring Holding SA from Switzerland). She is currently supervising 1 MSc student (UPorto) and between 2022 and 2024, she mentored 2 MSc students (UPorto and Erasmus Mundus NANOMED - EU Mobility) and 3 PhD candidates (Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil; Barcelona Institute of Science and Biology, Spain; Buenos Aires University, Argentina). Soraia Pinto was involved in the writing of 4 R&D projects proposals from 2020 to 2023 (e.g., FCT calls). As part of her commitment to the research field, she was enrolled in the scientific committee of Controlled Release Society (CRS) as Ambassador of the Young Scientist Committee (YSC, 2022-2023), and Trainee Representative of the Oral Delivery Focus Group CRS (since Jan 2024). Her commitment to science extends beyond research, as she has actively contributed to educational outreach initiatives aimed at inspiring younger audiences to pursue research careers. As an instructor at Porto Junior University (2017), she engaged teenagers in hands-on scientific techniques, such as in vitro drug release studies and ex vivo permeability assays, fostering their interest in science and providing them with practical knowledge. She was also part of the Children’s Porto project as instructor, an initiative led by researchers from i3S, where she introduced primary school children to basic and fundamental science related with human bones, blood cells, and biomaterials. These outreach experiences were meaningful to improve her skills in communication and mentoring for non-scientific communities, but also in simplifying complex concepts to reach a broader spectrum of society.