Daniela P. Mesquita

Daniela P. Mesquita is a Researcher at the Centre of Biological Engineering (CEB-UM) and Associate Director of the Sustainable Bioprocesses and Bioproducts Laboratory (LBBS) at the University of Minho. With a PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering (2011), she specializes in quantitative image analysis, chemometrics, and bioprocess development for wastewater treatment and environmental sustainability.

• PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Minho (2006-2011)
• Master in Biotechnology, University of Minho (2004-2006)
• BSc in Biological Engineering, University of Minho (1999-2004)

Her research focuses on:

• Quantifying extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) during pharmaceutical and industrial wastewater treatment
• Developing NIR spectroscopy and chemometric models for rapid pollutant detection
• Optimizing aerobic granular sludge systems under stress conditions (e.g., salinity, pharmaceuticals)

Her recent publications highlight trends in micropollutant removal, sludge morphology, and real-time process monitoring using multivariate analysis. She has supervised 3 PhD theses and 6 Master’s dissertations, with expertise in activated sludge and toxicity assessment. Scientific awards include the Best Poster of the Week (2009) and multiple IACOBUS Program grants (2019-2023). She has conducted visiting research at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), University of Lorraine (France), and University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain).