Marisol de Gouveia Dias is currently a PhD student in the Food Processing and Nutrition Group, led by Professor Lorenzo Pastrana, at the University of Minho and the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL). She commenced her PhD in Food Science, Technology, and Nutrition in October 2021, focusing on the development of functional foods through the encapsulation of bioactive compounds aimed at controlling and addressing type 2 diabetes in elderly individuals.
She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Geology, as well as a Master of Science degree in Biophysics and Bionanosystems, both obtained from the University of Minho. As an early-stage researcher, she began her research career as an Associate Researcher in the Biology Department of the School of Sciences (CBMA), where she worked on a project exploring the potential biomedical applications of the pleiotropic cytokines LIF and oncostatin M. Subsequently, she undertook another research grant at the Centre of Biological Engineering (CEB), also at the University of Minho, where she conducted an epidemiological study on vulvovaginal candidiasis in Northern Portugal.
At INL, she began her role as a Research Associate in 2021, contributing to the PhageSTEC project, which focuses on the encapsulation of bacteriophages.