Clara Sousa

Clara Sousa is an academic researcher at the Portuguese Catholic University's Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry (UCP-CBQF). She holds degrees in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Porto, with a PhD in Chemistry (2008). Her roles include auxiliary researcher, invited assistant professor at UCP (teaching courses in Waves and Electromagnetism, Programming, and General Chemistry), and editorial board member of journals like Plos One and Foods. She has supervised numerous postdoctoral and graduate students and leads/co-leads multiple research projects focusing on bioactive compounds, biotechnology, and food science.

• Education: BSc (Chemistry, 2001), MSc (Chemistry, 2004), MSc (Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2011), PhD (Chemistry, 2008) from University of Porto.

Research interests span infrared spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, metabolomics, and bacterial typing, with applications in food preservation, drug delivery, and functional foods. She has published over 50 papers and contributed to 3 book chapters, with an h-index of 18.

Recent projects include the Sustainable Bioeconomy initiative (138M funding) and EU-funded studies on food waste reduction and gut health innovations. Awards include the 2022 CBQF Annual Incentive and a Best Poster Award at the Plant Nutrition Colloquium.