Eugénio C. FerreiraView profile
Professor
Eugénio C. Ferreira is a Full Professor at the Department of Biological Engineering within the School of Engineering at the University of Minho. From December 2019 to February 2025, he served as Vice-Rector for Research & Innovation, overseeing the university's research strategy, innovation ecosystem, and international collaborations. He has held numerous leadership positions including President of the Board of Directors of TECMINHO (2020-2025), Vice-President of CENTI – Centre for Nanotechnology and Smart Materials (2022-2025), and Director of the Centre of Biological Engineering (2016-2020), a research unit with over 400 researchers where he leads the BIOSYSTEMS research group focused on Bioprocess Engineering and Computational Biosystems. Professor Ferreira's research expertise centers on Process Systems Engineering in Biotechnological, Chemical and Environmental Applications with emphasis on Modeling, Monitoring, and Control of Bioprocesses; Systems Biology, Bioinformatics, and Metabolic Engineering; and Image Analysis and Chemometrics in Environmental Biotechnology. His work bridges fundamental research with practical applications in industrial biotechnology, wastewater treatment, and environmental monitoring. He has published over 200 international refereed papers and book chapters, in addition to 13 books and more than 325 conference papers and communications. His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on advanced wastewater treatment technologies, particularly aerobic granular sludge systems, with applications for removing pharmaceuticals, microplastics, and other contaminants. His research increasingly integrates computational modeling, image analysis, and systems biology approaches to optimize bioprocesses. He has made significant contributions to genome-scale metabolic modeling and its applications in industrial biotechnology. Professor Ferreira has held extensive leadership roles in academic governance, serving as a member of the Portuguese Academy of Engineering, Counselor Member at the General Council of the University of Minho, Chair of the Chemical & Biological Engineering Section of the Portuguese Engineers Institution (2010-2013), and General-Secretary of the Portuguese Society of Biotechnology (2004-2019). He has coordinated numerous research projects funded by national and European agencies and has served on editorial boards of several prestigious journals including Frontiers in Biotechnology and Bioengineering. His research group BIOSYSTEMS has secured substantial funding for projects related to bioprocess engineering, wastewater treatment, and systems biology. He has directed multiple PhD and Master's programs, including the PhD Program in Bioengineering under the MIT Portugal Program and the Master's Program in Environmental Management. His leadership extends to national and international scientific organizations, where he has influenced research policy and educational standards in biotechnology and chemical engineering.




