Marta S. P. Carepo

Marta S. P. Carepo is an Associate Professor at Universidade Lusófona, where she also serves as Director of the Biochemistry degree program. She is concurrently a Researcher at LAQV-REQUIMTE, an Associated Laboratory for Green Chemistry hosted at FCT NOVA. Her academic journey includes a PhD in Biochemistry-Biotechnology from FCT NOVA and postdoctoral research at the Federal University of Pará, Brazil. She has held a Principal Investigator position at the Federal University of Ceará under a CAPES grant.

• PhD in Biochemistry-Biotechnology, FCT NOVA (2002)
• Licentiate in Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon

Her research focuses on the structural and functional characterization of metalloproteins, particularly those involved in hydrogen metabolism, oxygen sensing, and heavy metal detoxification in bacteria. She employs a multidisciplinary approach combining spectroscopy (EPR, ENDOR, CD, fluorescence), biochemistry, and biophysics, often integrating omics data. Her work has strong implications in environmental biotechnology, infectious disease mechanisms (particularly in Mycobacterium tuberculosis), and green chemistry.

The 15 most recent publications reflect a consistent focus on metalloprotein function, redox chemistry, and bioinorganic mechanisms. Key themes include heme-based oxygen sensors (e.g., DevS, FixL), molybdenum and copper cluster proteins, metallodrug design, DNA cleavage, and ROS generation. Her studies frequently involve spectroscopic and electrochemical characterization, protein engineering, and bacterial stress responses. The articles span biochemistry, inorganic chemistry, microbiology, and medicinal chemistry, indicating a highly interdisciplinary research profile.

Her scientific achievements have been recognized through competitive grants and collaborative projects:

• Principal Investigator, CAPES Grant, Brazil (2014–2017)
• Portugal-Brazil Transnational Cooperation Project (PI)

Marta S. P. Carepo has supervised 3 PhD students (1 ongoing), 6 Master’s students (2 ongoing), and numerous undergraduate and exchange students. She has served on academic evaluation juries and examination boards and is actively involved in public science outreach, including organizing activities for the European Researchers’ Night. Her research is supported by grants from FCT (Portugal) and CAPES (Brazil), and she continues to lead projects in metalloprotein biochemistry and environmental detoxification.

She leads and contributes to research teams at LAQV-REQUIMTE and collaborates with groups in Brazil. Her lab integrates biochemical, spectroscopic, and molecular biology techniques to study metalloprotein function and bacterial adaptation mechanisms.