Ana Isabel Estevez Pintado

Ana Isabel Estevez Pintado is a Researcher at the Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry (CBQF) of the Catholic University of Portugal, where she serves as coordinator of the analytical platform within the College of Biotechnology. She is currently completing her PhD in Biotechnology (Food Science and Engineering) at the Portuguese Catholic University while maintaining active research and teaching responsibilities.

Ana earned her Chemical Engineering degree from the School of Engineering of the Polytechnic Institute of Porto in 1994 and a Master's in Energy Efficiency in the Chemical Industry in 2000. Her technical expertise spans bioprocess engineering, microbiological techniques, and advanced analytical methods including chromatography, electrophoresis, and spectrophotometry. She has taught courses in chemical analysis, laboratory practices, and general chemistry.

Her research focuses on two interconnected domains: development of novel bioactive molecules and valorization of industrial by-products. The fingerprint analysis of her work reveals strong specialization in dairy biotechnology (Lactose, Enterococcus, Cheeses at 75-100% relevance), amino acid chemistry, and proteolysis processes. She has developed significant expertise in converting agricultural and industrial waste streams into valuable materials through sustainable bioprocesses.

Ana's publication record shows consistent output from 2018-2025 with increasing emphasis on circular economy applications. Her recent work demonstrates a clear trajectory from fundamental analytical research toward applied sustainable solutions, particularly in natural product extraction, cosmetic applications, and waste-to-value conversion. The articles show strong interdisciplinary connections between food science, materials engineering, and environmental sustainability.

She has authored 18 peer-reviewed journal articles and 3 book chapters while presenting 7 oral communications and 46 conference posters internationally. Her current research involves the Circulas project (collaboration between Biorbis and ESB-UCP), following her previous work on the Alchemy project (2018-2023) with Amyris Inc. and ESB-UCP, demonstrating sustained industry-academic partnership development.