Maria João Jacinto

Maria João Jacinto is a researcher at Nova School of Business and Economics (Nova University Lisbon) and Executive Director of Patient Innovation. Her work focuses on healthcare innovation and entrepreneurship, aiming to create resilient and crowd-based innovation systems. She has extensive international experience through research collaborations and programs, including a Ph.D. in Bioengineering from MIT Portugal/Istituto Superior Técnico and a Master's thesis at University of Ghent.

• Education: Ph.D. in Bioengineering (2019), MSc in Biological Engineering (2012), and Postgraduate in Project Management (2020).
• Research Interests: User-driven healthcare innovation, entrepreneurship for impact, applied healthcare science, and bioengineering.
• Professional Experience: Former R&D lead in bionano technology at Biotrend, postdoctoral researcher at Universidade Católica Portuguesa, and program director for the Patient Innovation Bootcamp.

Her interdisciplinary background bridges engineering, economics, and healthcare, enabling contributions to teaching modules across multiple institutions.