Catarina De Matos Ferraz Franco

I graduated in Biochemistry in 2004 and started as a research student at the ITQB-UNL (Portugal) Mass Spectrometry Laboratory. During a 3-year period I was involved in several different research projects that allowed me to obtain experience in different proteomic/mass spectrometry tools. In 2007 I started my Ph.D. in Biochemistry at ITQB and in 2011 was awarded with a FCT Postdoctoral fellow. During my Ph.D., I worked in the field of echinoderm regeneraUon and studied the differenUal protein expression associated with arm Up regeneraUon events of the starfish Marthasterias glacialis. The results obtained impelled me to invest on the characterisaUon of protein post-translaUonal modificaUons occurring during specific stages of regeneraUon of the starfish radial nerve cords, which is the current aim of my postdoctoral research. Recently, I have been taking the first steps as an independent researcher since I was awarded with a project grant from the FoundaUon for Science and Technology (FCT), Portugal (PTDC/MAR-BIO/2174/2012; 170,860€ over 3 years) to study echinoderms outstanding nervous system regeneraUon capabiliUes using mass spectrometry tools. AddiUonally, in 2014 I was awarded with a Fulbright VisiUng Scholar Award that allowed me to pursue several of the research objecUves at the Proteome ExploraUon Laboratory (PEL), Beckman InsUtute, Caltech, California, USA. While at PEL I had the opportunity to be involved in the development of a new method to successfully fragment highly modified large pepUdes using ETD fragmentaUon in the high-end Orbitrap Fusion (Thermo), recently published in AnalyUcal Chemistry. At an early stage of my career I already have an impressive track record of publicaUons, 7 firstauthor papers (and 2 addiUonal papers in preparaUon); 16 co-authored papers from several collaboraUve research projects, totalling 160 citaUons and an h-index of 9 according to Scopus. Of the published arUcles, 2 were highlighted in the respecUve journal covers. I have also co-edited the InTech Book Tandem Mass Spectrometry - Molecular CharacterizaUon. In total I have parUcipated in 29 scienUfic conferences (23 poster presentaUons; 8 oral presentaUons with 1 selected for an advanced researcher talk; 1 seminar; 2 Umes winner of the best poster award and; 1 Ume winner of the best oral communicaUon). I was involved in the organising commibee of 3 scienUfic workshops. I have also experience in teaching acUviUes namely, pracUcal classes of Biochemistry in Universidade de Évora, and several theoreUcal and pracUcal classes in mass spectrometry as part of ITQB Ph.D. program and several master classes of different UniversiUes. I have experience in supervising students (Master and Ph.D. students) and scienUsts (Post-docs) in training acUviUes of new users of mass spectrometer faciliUes and, implemenUng several new methods and applicaUons (includes several laboratory procedures and mass spectrometry methods). Aside from the outlined scienUfic achievements, I have also experience in 3D scienUfic animaUon, a skill that I have successfully implemented in my science communicaUon events, which has greatly contributed to successful work disseminaUon, creaUng awareness of the importance of my research area in the context of lay and scienUfic audiences.